Department for Transport

Merchant Shipping: Qualifications

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether seafarer certificates remain valid within Europe after the UK leaves the EU.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Seafarer qualifications are issued and recognised in accordance with the international convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping (STCW) 1978, as amended. This is an international Convention that is applicable to all seafarers working at sea. The UK will continue to recognise seafarer qualifications in accordance with procedures set out in the Convention, which will not be affected by our departure from the EU. A well-established system already exists in the relevant EU legislation for recognition of certificates issued by third countries and to date over 45 countries are recognised.

A12: Colchester

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the A12 widening scheme between junction 19 and junction 25 will not be delayed as a result of the problems identified with the Local Plan produced by Colchester Borough Council by Planning Inspector Roger Clews in his letter to that council of 8 June 2018.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport is considering the way forward for the A12 widening scheme in the light of the Planning Inspector’s report, working with Highways England, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Essex County Council and North Essex Garden Communities. The Department is considering how best to support the Government’s wider aims to support housing and growth without delaying delivery of the A12 scheme.

Roads: Capital Investment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding that will be made available from the public purse for road investment proposals for the RIS2 programme.

Jesse Norman: The Department will publish its Draft road investment strategy in the coming weeks, which will provide a statement of funds available for RIS2.

Transforming Cities Fund

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the bidding process for Transforming Cities funding (a) started and (b) is planned to conclude; and when a decision is due on which cities have been successful in their bids.

Joseph Johnson: The Transforming Cities Fund Call for Proposals process launched on 13 March 2018 and bidding closed on Friday 8 June. The Department is currently considering the proposals received and cities will be notified if they are successful when the assessment is complete.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Planning Blight

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many residential buildings in Camden and Brent have been identified to his Department by HS2 Ltd as high risk for settlement damage due to (a) construction activity and (b) planned construction activity by HS2 Ltd.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd does not have information as to the specific number of properties that may be affected by ground settlement as a result of construction activity. Buildings which are identified as having the potential for being at risk of settlement, will be subject to an assessment to establish the extent of the risk; and to identify any monitoring measures or protective measures that need to be put in place. Any building identified as high risk through the assessment will trigger mitigation either in the tunneling or to the building itself.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Hampstead and Kilburn

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will publish information it holds on the construction plans of HS2 Ltd of February 2018 intended for Alexandra Road Park on Langtry Walk in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Since July 2017 HS2 Ltd has been working with the main works civils contractors SCS JV (Skanska Construction UK Ltd, Costain Ltd, STRABAG AG), to develop scheme designs and the construction programme for the line of route works that includes the tunnels adjacent to Alexandra Road Park on Langtry Walk. The shaft that was originally proposed at Alexandra Place is not part of the current scheme. From July 2018 SCS and HS2 Ltd will be engaging with the local communities with an increasing level of information as the designs matures. Scheme Design will continue through 2018, with a view to commencing construction works in 2019 and tunnel construction in 2020. Enabling works will continue in the area and HS2 Ltd will continue to engage with the communities local on these works.

Northern: Industrial Disputes

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has  indemnified Arriva Rail North for industrial action; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: As provided for in all franchise agreements, The Secretary of State, in his discretion, may at any time decide to reimburse or ameliorate net losses of the Franchisee arising from Industrial Action (however caused and of whatever nature) in circumstances where the Franchisee has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State that it has taken all reasonable steps to avoid the Industrial Action and that, Industrial Action having nevertheless occurred, the Franchisee has taken all reasonable steps to mitigate its effects. However, no payments have been made under the relevant Franchise Agreement provision.

Bus Services: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made a recent assessment of trends in the number of bus routes in (a) Coventry and (b) Coventry South constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Bus operators must register their services with a traffic commissioner in the traffic area in which the service operates. The table below shows the number of live local bus registrations in the West Midlands Traffic Area as at 31 March of each year. There have been more local bus registrations in 2017, than there were in 2011. Live local bus service registrations in the West Midlands Traffic Area, as at 31 March, 2011 to 2017 YearLive local bus registrations20112,22120122,11120131,99120141,63220151,77920161,69420172,388Source: Traffic Commissioners' annual reports

Heathrow Airport: Construction

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the effect of building a third runway at Heathrow on the residents of Tooting constituency.

Jesse Norman: Following Parliament’s historic decision to endorse expansion at Heathrow, the Airports National Policy Statement was designated. This allows an applicant to bring forward an application for development consent, which would be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. Expansion at Heathrow would bring up to £74 billion of benefits to passengers and the wider economy. As part of the next stage of the process, an applicant will need to carry out further consultation with local communities on the finer details of their scheme design and the associated compensation and mitigation packages. The applicant would also be expected to conduct a full environmental impact assessment. Alongside this an applicant will need to develop plans for the necessary airspace changes around the airport, including new flightpaths. These will also be subject to consultation with local communities, ahead of being submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval. The Government undertook a strategic assessment of the effects of Heathrow expansion on local communities surrounding the airport, as part of the Appraisal of Sustainability (AoS). This assessment included consideration of a range of effects, including those to the environment, and the local economy. The AoS was first published online in February 2017 and consulted on as part of the Airports National Policy Statement process. The AoS was available for MPs consideration before the Parliament’s historic decision to back expansion at Heathrow.

Wrexham-Bidston Railway Line

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the frequency of trains on the Wrexham to Bidston line.

Joseph Johnson: Train services on the Wrexham to Bidston line are operated by the Wales & Borders franchise. The Welsh Government rather than the Department specifies services in that franchise under the Welsh rail devolution arrangements. The current franchise finishes this October and the Welsh Government has appointed Keolis/Amey as the new franchise operator. The Welsh Government’s announcement about the new franchise says that: ‘By the end of 2023, passengers will be able to take advantage of an additional 285 services each weekday across Wales (a 29 per cent increase). This will include improvements to the … Wrexham – Bidston line.’

Railways: North West

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve travelling times between Wirral and Manchester.

Joseph Johnson: As part of the recent timetable introduction the train operators have introduced a number of train service changes to improve journey times between Liverpool and Manchester such as Transpennine Express (TPE) running two ‘fast’ services per hour from Liverpool Lime Street – Manchester Victoria providing a journey time of 35 mins rather than the 52 mins of the previous route. Rail services between the Wirral area and Liverpool are a matter for MerseyTravel as the local authority transport body responsible for MerseyRail. In regards to bus times from these locations the department doesn’t have any specific data for services running between Wirral and Manchester.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Plastic Surgery: Bankruptcy

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information his Department holds on the number of cosmetic surgery practitioners who continue to practice who have previously declared bankruptcy.

Andrew Griffiths: The Insolvency Service does not hold this information.

Energy: Meters

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of (a) gas meters and (b) smart meters; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffiths: Gas meters used for billing must be of an approved design and be accurate. Accuracy limits for smart and ‘traditional’, non-smart meters are identical and set out in legislation. The Office for Product Safety and Standards manages an annual in-service testing regime to test the accuracy of gas meter types. Testing is undertaken on the basis of sampling and to date all gas meter types sampled have passed. In the event of a dispute over the accuracy of a meter, the law gives all consumers the right to have their gas meter independently checked and tested. The vast majority of meters tested as a result of consumer dispute are found to be accurate.

Natural Gas: Billing

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to consumers of over-billing by gas companies; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The independent regulator, Ofgem, through conditions in the supply licence require suppliers to treat their domestic customers fairly, including providing information (whether in writing or orally) that is complete, accurate and not misleading in terms of the information provided or omitted. Domestic supply or deemed contracts must include any compensation and refund arrangements which apply if contracted quality service levels are not met, including inaccurate and delayed billing. Ofgem have taken enforcement action against suppliers where there is evidence of inaccurate billing. In addition, the Office for Product Safety and Standards is responsible for the regulatory system that delivers accuracy in measurement of gas consumed.

Natural Gas: Meters

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to require the measurement of the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure in gas meters in domestic accommodation.

Claire Perry: This is a matter for the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem). I have asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon Member. I will place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of the House.

Construction: Finance

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what financial support his Department provides to the construction industry.

Richard Harrington: The Government is committed to investing £600m in infrastructure over the next decade and providing £15.3bn in new financial support for housing in this Parliament.We are driving economic growth and improving people’s lives in the long term by investing £170m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) in the Transforming Construction: Manufacturing Better Buildings programme. The programme will improve productivity through supporting the development and commercialisation of digital, manufacturing, energy generation and storage technologies for the construction and built environment sectors.

Utilities: Prices

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage utilities providers to offer discounts to customers purchasing two or more utilities from a company.

Claire Perry: In Great Britain, it is a commercial decision for individual energy supply companies as to whether to offer incentives for consumers to purchase more than one of their services. In Northern Ireland, energy policy is largely a devolved matter. The UK Government is working to ensure the resumption of stable devolved government in North Ireland.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the budget is for the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate for 2018-19; and how many staff the Inspectorate plans to employ in 2018-19.

Andrew Griffiths: The opening budget for the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate for 2018-19 is £0.725m, although the Department will continue to monitor spend and review resourcing requirements throughout the year. The EAS currently has 12 members of staff, however the Department continues to review the resourcing needs both in the short term and in the context of wider, longer term reforms including the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices and the strategy of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement.

Insolvency: Ombudsman

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if will amend the insolvency legislation to provide for an independent ombudsman to advise on disputes.

Andrew Griffiths: The insolvency of a party will not necessarily prevent the use of existing dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration. If, however, insolvency related remedies are sought, for example in relation to claims against directors, preference claims, claims to set aside transactions at undervalue, steps will need to be undertaken to ensure appropriate authority is provided by the court.Insolvency practitioners deal with a number of conflicting interests and their authorising bodies cannot intervene in, or adjudicate upon, disputes of a commercial or legal nature. Ultimately, it is for the Courts to adjudicate upon commercial disputes and disagreements about the application of insolvency law.Where there are concerns about the actions of an insolvency practitioner, these should in the first instance be raised directly with the practitioner. If this fails to resolve the matter, then a complaint can be made through the Insolvency Service’s Complaints Gateway at: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-insolvency-practitioner. In June 2013, we established this new gateway to provide a single point of entry for complaints about insolvency practitioners following collaborative discussions between the Insolvency Service and the bodies that authorise insolvency practitioners. The Gateway handles circa 700 complaints annually.Given the existing options for resolving disputes, I am not proposing to make any changes at this time.

Companies House: Documents

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps are taken by Companies House to ensure the legibility of the documents submitted to it.

Andrew Griffiths: Documents filed with Companies House should be legible and enable Companies House to make an acceptable copy of the document for the public record. Documents are examined for legibility before they are accepted for registration and may be returned if an examiner believes they do not meet the legibility requirements. Should Companies House receive a public complaint, or become aware in some other way, that a document is not legible, it will contact the company and request a new copy of the document.

Thames Water: Annual Reports

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that Companies House holds a legible copy of the Thames Water Utilities 2017-18 annual accounts.

Andrew Griffiths: When Thames Water Utilities Limited files its accounts for 2017-18 they will be subject to Companies House’s usual examination checks. These include checks to ensure a legible copy can be made for the Public Record. If Companies House is not satisfied a legible copy can be made it will reject them and ask for a copy that meets the requirements.

Companies

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the number of companies with (a) 500 to 1,000 and (b) more than 1,000 employees.

Andrew Griffiths: Data that relies on company filings such as annual reports as its source shows that, as at 27 June 2018, 3,263 UK companies report that they have between 500 and 1,000 employees; and 3,573 UK companies report that they have more than 1,000 employees.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on tackling the problem in the north of the UK with Data Communications Company hubs being unable to communicate with SMETS2 meters; and what information he holds on the timetable for resolving that problem.

Claire Perry: The DCC service for the North region is already operational with SMETS2 meters installed. Initial operational experience has identified improvements which are being implemented by end of July 2018

Beer: Carbon Dioxide

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that the brewing industry has an adequate supply of CO2 to service (a) pubs and (b) retail outlets with (i) beer and (ii) cider in the next three months.

Andrew Griffiths: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Energy: Meters

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the  mobile solution to the DCC hub communication problem in the southern UK region  to the northern mobile region; and, what assessment he has made of the effect on the future-proofing of the smart meters toll-out programme of a network reliance on 2G technology.

Claire Perry: Separate networks are in place for the Central and South Regions and the North. There are no plans to change these arrangements. The Data and Communications Company (DCC) has contracted with Telefonica to reach at least 99.25% of properties, and Telefonica’s initial batch of communications hubs for the first 15% of the service will use dual 2G/3G chips providing flexibility and future proofing. The DCC’s system has both commercial and technical protections to ensure future proofing, and energy suppliers have a responsibility (and interest) to ensure they can continue to use their smart meter for its asset lifetime, which they have taken into consideration as part of their asset procurement.

Financial Reporting Council Independent Review

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the first meeting of the advisory group of the independent review of the Financial Reporting Council will take place; and how often it will meet thereafter.

Andrew Griffiths: The Advisory Group that supports the independent Review of the Financial Reporting Council met for the first time on 25 May 2018. I understand the Group will meet approximately monthly until the end of the year.

Financial Reporting Council Independent Review: Trade Unions

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether trade unions will be consulted as part of the independent review of the Financial Reporting Council.

Andrew Griffiths: Sir John Kingman is conducting the review independently of my Department. I am therefore unable to speak for the review directly. However, I understand Sir John Kingman met the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Stakeholder Advisory Panel on 26 June 2018, which included representatives from the Trades Union Congress (TUC). On 6 June 2018, the independent Review of the FRC published a public call for evidence, inviting views and information from those affected by the FRC’s functions and effectiveness. Sir John Kingman would welcome responses to the call for evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including interested trade unions, before 6 August. The Review Secretariat can be contacted at FRCReview@BEIS.gov.uk.

Financial Reporting Council Independent Review: Costs

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the independent review of the Financial Reporting Council.

Andrew Griffiths: Sir John Kingman asked not to receive a fee for his role undertaking the independent Review of the Financial Reporting Council. Members of the Review’s Advisory Group are also not remunerated for their involvement. The Review’s Secretariat is currently made up of 5.2 full time equivalent civil servants (receiving public sector pay) with the view that this will increase to 6.2 once a vacancy has been filled. The Secretariat also includes one secondee whose salary is met by Legal & General. It is estimated that the costs of the Review will amount to approximately £210,000. This includes forecasted staff costs for the Secretariat, printing and travel and subsistence.

Fire Prevention: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2018 to Question 156340 on fire prevention: insulation, what the total expenditure was on that project.

Richard Harrington: Innovate UK provided £250,000 of funding to the Manufacturing Technology Centre to undertake first stage studies and mathematical model development for simulating methods of removing an replacing cladding on high rise buildings. This has been further supplemented by £110,000, to test the potential for non-destructive test methods that are used in the manufacturing sector to be used on high rise buildings, to identify the materials used in cladding systems and how these have been assembled and attached to the building.

Fire Prevention: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2018 to Question 156340 on fire prevention: insulation, if he will place in the Library a copy of any correspondence between his Department, InnovateUK, and the contractors for that project relating to the objective of that project.

Richard Harrington: It is intended that the proposal for this project, developed by the Manufacturing Technology Centre, will be published alongside the results of the project.

Carillion: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of sub-contractors who worked directly for Carillion that have been declared bankrupt in the last six months.

Andrew Griffiths: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of the US Administration continuing its role as an honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Alistair Burt: ​We welcome and share President Trump’s desire to bring an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. We agree on the importance of the US bringing forward detailed proposals for a viable peace agreement that addresses the legitimate concerns of both parties. We continue to believe the best way to achieve this is through substantive peace talks between the parties leading to a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital.

Israeli Settlements

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether UK missions in Israel and Palestine purchase goods produced in illegal settlements.

Alistair Burt: ​Neither our Embassy in Tel Aviv nor our Consulate-General in Jerusalem purchase goods from Israeli settlements. The UK’s position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has plans to seek to reform the Vienna Convention 1961.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Her Majesty's Government has no plans to seek to reform the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.

Maldives: Democracy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department has provided to the Maldives Government to help improve that country's democratic processes.

Mark Field: Ministers and the British Ambassador to the Maldives regularly engage with the Government of Maldives about improving the country's democratic processes. On 19 April, I wrote to the Foreign Minister to request that his Government take all steps necessary to re-establish democratic norms, restore the independence of Parliament and the courts, release all political prisoners and engage in a genuine dialogue with leaders of Opposition parties. I also noted that the UK stood ready to support Maldives in taking these steps. We continue to call on the Government of Maldives to respect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of assembly and speech. Most recently, the UK raised Maldives in our UN Human Rights Council statement on 19 June 2018.

Turkey: Elections

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Turkey on the relocation to less accessible places of polling stations in predominantly Kurdish areas of Turkey; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​In the run-up to the recent elections in Turkey we consistently encouraged the Turkish authorities to ensure that the process would be handled fairly, professionally and transparently. We note the concerns over mergers and relocations of polling stations expressed by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), following the ODIHR electoral monitoring mission, and urge Turkey to take these into consideration.

Turkey: Elections

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Turkish general election was conducted fairly, given that one of the candidates was compelled to conduct his campaign from prison.

Sir Alan Duncan: We actively supported the International Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We have noted the concerns set out in its preliminary conclusions, including regarding access to media, and we encourage Turkey to act on the monitoring mission’s findings. We have previously made clear the importance of ensuring any legal processes against politicians are fair, transparent and respectful of the rule of law.

Foreign Relations

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with which other government departments he is coordinating British soft power for global Britain.

Mark Field: ​The National Security Capability Review 2018 recommended the creation of a cross-government soft power strategy. The FCO is leading the development of this strategy, working with Departments across Whitehall including Department for International Trade, Department for International Development, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Home Office, Ministry of Defence, Her Majesty's Treasury, Cabinet Office, Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for Education, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Ministry for Justice and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Gaza: Visits Abroad

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support and facilitate access of hon. Members to Gaza.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Gaza. Entry to, and exit from, Gaza can be very difficult. Permission to access Gaza is granted by either the Israeli or Egyptian authorities. Any specific request from Members of Parliament for assistance from the Government would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps is he taking to ensure that the Geneva process for Syria is a priority in discussions with international partners.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK strongly supports the UN-led Geneva process to end the conflict in Syria, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We use our bilateral discussions and our position on the UN Security Council, the International Syria Support Group and the Small Group on Syria to urge all international actors to prioritise this process. At a meeting on 25 June with UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, UK and the other Small Group members reaffirmed our collective support for his efforts to achieve an inclusive political settlement.

USA: Import Duties

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has summoned the US Ambassador to discuss the issue of US steel tariffs.

Sir Alan Duncan: There has been no such summons.My Right Honourable Friends the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Secretary of State for International Trade and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have all raised US steel tariffs with the Administration, registering our disappointment and arguing that tariffs benefit no one in the long term. We will continue to work closely with the US and our EU partners to find a constructive resolution and to tackle the global challenge of steel overcapacity. We also continue to work with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on supporting industry through the product exemptions process which is being run by the US Department of Commerce.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he approved the first allocated budget of the Integrated Activity Fund.

Alistair Burt: The Gulf Integrated Activity Fund was introduced in the 2015 Spending Round. It was based in the Cabinet Office at the time and transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from the start of Financial Year 2018/2019.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the overall allocated budget for the Integrated Activity Fund’s Gulf Strategy was at the beginning of that programme.

Alistair Burt: ​The Integrated Activity Fund allocation was £80 million over the Spending Review period.

Gulf States: Overseas Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which country has been the largest beneficiary of the Integrated Activity Fund’s Gulf Strategy to date.

Alistair Burt: The IAF funds activity in all six Gulf States: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Many of the projects and programmes activities are delivered regionally, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by beneficiary state.

Bahrain: Overseas Aid

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 22 May and 6 June to Questions HL7776 and HL8196, whether Bahrain was a beneficiary of the Integrated Activity Fund in the 2016-17 financial year.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded programmes to support building effective and accountable public and judicial institutions in Bahrain. In financial year 2016-17, £1.52 million was spent on UK expertise to support Bahraini-led reform through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund. No funding was received from the Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) in 2016-17 for this activity. The IAF funded a range of projects in the Gulf in 2016-17 and, as many of these activities are delivered across the region, it is not possible to provide a breakdown according to each beneficiary state.

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the establishment of an international marine protected area in the Weddell Sea.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Ocean protection issues have been a key point of discussion among Ministers at recent G7 and G20 meetings. The Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area proposal is currently being finalised by those European Union Member States who are also Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and international consultations are underway at official and technical levels. The final proposal will be submitted to CCAMLR in September, when we will work with other EU members to consider the most appropriate level of lobbying.

Cyprus: Peace Negotiations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Cypriot counterpart on peace talks and the reunification of Cyprus.

Sir Alan Duncan: As a strong supporter of a comprehensive and just Cyprus settlement based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, we regularly engage with the parties to the settlement talks at all levels. The Prime Minister discussed the issue with President Anastasiades in London on 17 April. I discussed the issue with Cypriot Foreign Minister Christodoulides on 20 April. The Foreign Secretary discussed settlement with Cypriot Foreign Minister Christodoulides on 7 March during his congratulatory call.

Romania: Administration of Justice

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the European Court of Human Rights Case of Rezmive and Others v. Romania ECHR 137 (2017), what steps the Government is taking to encourage the Romanian Government to improve (a) prison and detention facilities attached to police stations and (b) such facilities holding British (i) citizens and (ii) residents.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Our Embassy in Bucharest and the Romanian Ministry of Justice are in regular contact about prison conditions in Romania. The UK and Romania have built a strong law enforcement relationship over the years through sustained engagement and cooperation. Embassy/Consular staff overseas are tasked to contact any new British National detainees as soon as possible after being informed about their arrest or detention in order to assess any potential assistance. Where there are concerns that British Nationals are not treated in line with internationally-accepted standards we will consider approaching local authorities. There are currently no British Nationals detained within the Romanian prison system.

Romania: Administration of Justice

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Resolution on the intervention of the Romanian Intelligence Service in the Romanian Act of Justice, passed by the European Bars Federation on 19 May 2018, whether the Government has made an assessment of (a) the relationship that exists between the Romanian judiciary and intelligence service and (b) the effect of that relationship on British (i) citizens and (ii) residents in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The relationship between the Romanian judiciary and intelligence service is an internal matter for Romania. The Government does not comment on intelligence matters. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office engages regularly with the Romanian Government on justice issues.

South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for completion of the review of the designation of the sea around the South Sandwich Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands is undertaking the first 5 year review of the South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area. A review panel, comprising scientists, industry and environmental organisation representatives and independent members, are preparing a report, which will include advice and recommendations, which the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands expects to receive in final form by mid/late August.

Department of Health and Social Care

European Reference Networks

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to promote continued UK co-operation and collaboration with (a) EUROCAN and (b) other European Reference Networks.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has noted the importance of continued collaboration with European partners in the 2017 policy paper ‘Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper’. The paper expressly cited European Reference Networks (ERNs) as an example of collaboration that the United Kingdom and European Union should discuss in the negotiations, given the mutual benefits. The Government published the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in 2013, which set out a vision to 2020 covering five areas including patient empowerment, identification and prevention of rare diseases, diagnosis and early intervention, coordination of care and the role of research. ERNs are a key way to deliver the five themes of the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases Strategy. The UK participates in 23 of 24 ERNs across a total of 113 separate Healthcare Providers in England and the devolved nations, including in ERN-EURACAN.

Plastic Surgery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds information on the number of fly in, fly out cosmetic surgeons practising in the UK.

Stephen Barclay: The information requested is not collected by the Department. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical doctors in the United Kingdom. All medical doctors, including those undertaking cosmetic surgery, must register with the GMC and meet set professional standards to work in the UK and be fit for practise.

Plastic Surgery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients admitted to hospital A&E departments were admitted as a result of aesthetic surgery complications in each of the last two years.

Stephen Barclay: The requested data is not centrally collected.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ultrasound scans associated with complications as a result of breast augmentation were performed in each of the last three years.

Stephen Barclay: Data on the volume of ultrasound scans associated with complications of breast augmentation is not collected centrally. NHS England publishes monthly data surrounding waiting times and activity for diagnostic tests which includes non-obstetric ultrasound. This is available on their statistical work areas website at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-data-2018-19/

Obesity: Surgery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of corrective surgery performed by the NHS as a result of complications arising from bariatric surgery performed in the private sector.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been provided counselling services by the NHS for trauma caused by complications as a result of negligent cosmetic surgery performed by a private practitioner.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage private sector cosmetic surgery providers to improve the provision of aftercare services for their patients.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Neither the Department nor its arm’s length bodies hold the information requested. On 8 May 2018 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care wrote to the chief executives of leading independent healthcare providers, asking that they improve patient safety in the wider sector, learning lessons from the National Health Service on making services safer and improving quality of care for patients.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the NHS is of providing a kidney transplant.

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital bed days were used by patients waiting for (a) organ and (b) stem cell transplants in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Improvement publishes reference cost data relating to kidney transplants, which can be found at the following link: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/reference-costs/ Reference costs are the average unit cost to the National Health Service of providing defined services to NHS patients in England in a given financial year. The information relating to kidney transplants is collected in two ways, the actual transplant episodes and the preparatory and follow-up screening and examinations in the case of live donor transplants. Reference costs for 2016-17 are given in the following tables. Reference costs for kidney transplant episodes 2016-17 TotalHRG1 DescriptionActivityUnit CostTotal CostKidney Transplant, 19 years and over, from Cadaver Non-Heart-Beating Donor645£12,167£7,847,829Kidney Transplant, 18 years and under, from Cadaver Non-Heart-Beating Donor11£5,780£63,576Kidney Transplant, 19 years and over, from Cadaver Heart-Beating Donor1,171£12,888£15,092,002Kidney Transplant, 18 years and under, from Cadaver Heart-Beating Donor40£15,157£606,268Kidney Transplant, 19 years and over, from Live Donor708£13,854£9,808,873Kidney Transplant, 18 years and under, from Live Donor60£15,149£908,964 2,635£13,028£34,327,513Source: NHS ImprovementNotes:Reference costs for acute care are collected by healthcare resource group (HRG). Reference cost data for pre and post-transplant episodes for activities associated with kidney transplants 2016-17  TotalHRG1 DescriptionActivityUnit CostTotal CostLive Kidney Donor Screening1,083£215£232,565Kidney Pre-Transplantation Workup of Live Donor2,422£270£654,200Kidney Pre-Transplantation Workup of Recipient, 19 years and over9,150£271£2,483,885Kidney Pre-Transplantation Workup of Recipient, 18 years and under27£991£26,750Examination for Post-Transplantation of Kidney of Recipient, 19 years and over75,261£239£18,010,518Examination for Post-Transplantation of Kidney of Recipient, 18 years and under396£250£99,024Examination for Post-Transplantation of Kidney of Live Donor2,809£173£487,293 91,148£241£21,994,236Source: NHS ImprovementNotes:Reference costs for acute care are collected by HRG. There are additional costs associated with a kidney transplant for immunosuppressant therapy, at an average cost of £6,000 per patient per year, and ongoing outpatient follow up but this information will depend on the individual patient and is not collected centrally. Information on hospital bed days used by patients waiting for organ or stem cell transplants is not centrally collected.

Donors: Ethnic Groups

Eleanor Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on public health campaigns to encourage BAME (a) blood, (b) stem cell, (c) living organ and (d) deceased organ donation in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the collection, manufacturing and issuing of blood products to the National Health Service in England; for organ and tissue donation in the United Kingdom; and for the British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR), to which it recruits registered blood donors to be potential stem cell donors.NHSBT recovers its costs for collecting, testing, processing and supplying blood through the prices that are charged to NHS hospitals in England. Funding for organ donation and retrieval is provided by way of subsidy from the Department.NHSBT organise campaigns to encourage living organ, deceased organ and blood donation by people from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background. NHSBT campaign spend is set out in the following table.  Living organ donationDeceased organ donationBlood donation2015/16£10,000c£140,000£279,0002016/17£76,000c£140,000£295,0002017/18£118,000£95,000£650,000Source: NHS Blood and Transplant In addition, this year there will be a new, extensive campaign focussed on increasing organ donors from black and Asian backgrounds.NHSBT manage the NHS Cord Blood Bank and the BBMR which are part of the Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry.NHSBT has not allocated a campaign spend specifically for stem cell donation in the last three years, all activity has been delivered in-house e.g. leaflets, letters. However, as individuals are approached to join the BBMR when they first donate blood, the blood campaign spend also contributes to stem cell recruitment.

Defibrillators

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in each region of England in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: The number of new implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) implanted in each of the last three years in each region of England is listed in the following table. The information is provided by the region of the hospital that provided the intervention, not the patient’s region of residence. The number of new ICDs implanted in each of the last three years in each region of EnglandRegion2015-162016-172017-18London1,1621,1621,098Midlands and East2,8422,8782,608North2,7212,8162,559South2,5382,5652,148

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients took receipt of an insulin pump in each region of England in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: Information is available on the number of people in England who are recorded as being on an insulin pump in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) 2016-17, by NHS England Region and year started on the pump and can be found in the following table. NHS England RegionNHS England Region Name201420152016Q71London165200175Q72North (Yorkshire And Humber)80105130Q74North (Cumbria And North East)140110105Q75North (Cheshire And Merseyside)203535Q76Midlands And East (North Midlands)455535Q77Midlands And East (West Midlands)506025Q78Midlands And East (Central Midlands)757070Q79Midlands And East (East)105110100Q83North (Greater Manchester)756055Q84North (Lancashire And South Cumbria)252535Q85South West (South West South)304535Q86South West (South West North)203025Q87South East (Hampshire, Isle Of Wight And Thames Valley)155040Q88South East (Kent, Surrey And Sussex)906085 Notes:The NDA does not hold comprehensive data on all children with diabetes. Latest National Health Service trusts and sites file (etrust) can be found at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/organisation-data-service/data-downloads/other-nhs-organisations Not all NHS England Regions are represented in the data, as there were no specialist diabetes services from those regions that participated in the NDA 2016-17. Figures are based on people who appear in the 2016-17 NDA who are recorded as having started on an insulin pump in a calendar year between 2014 and 2016. Disclosure control has been applied to all figures, as per the NDA publication - all numbers are rounded to the nearest 5, unless the number is 1 to 7, in which case it is rounded to ‘5’. The NDA does not have insulin pump data from all specialist services. We do not know the year that every person in the collection started on pump therapy (known for 92% of people).

Aortic Aneurysm

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve outcomes for patients who develop abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Steve Brine: The NHS Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening Programme aims to reduce deaths from AAA through early detection, and invites men registered with a general practitioner (GP) for ultrasound screening during the year they turn 65. Men aged over 65 who have not previously been diagnosed with an aneurysm can self-refer directly to their local screening programme without going through their GP.

Radiology and Surgery

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the number of NHS (a) vascular surgeons and (b) interventional radiologists.

Steve Brine: In the Cancer Workforce Plan for England which was published in December 2017, Health Education England (HEE) set out the case for the need to target additional training support for clinical radiology, histopathology, oncology and diagnostic and therapeutic radiography. Interventional radiology is a sub-specialty of clinical radiology. HEE increased the number of clinical radiology training programmes by 35 in 2017, which will lead to 35 additional clinical radiology posts each year for the next five years. Vascular surgery is not included within the Cancer Workforce Plan but the combined general and vascular surgery consultant workforce is projected to continue to grow at current levels (averaging 4.4% from 2012 to 2018). HEE will consider whether further action is required to increase supply beyond 2021 in the light of the longer-term HEE NHS workforce strategy which is expected to be published by the end of this year.

Prisoners: Complaints

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complaints were made by prisoners in (a) public and (b) private sector prisons in each of the last three years; and how many of those complaints were escalated to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman in each of those years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: National Health Service complaints are recorded by subject of the complaint, the organisation being complained about and the professional grouping. Prisoners are not specifically identified in these data sets and it is therefore not possible to provide figures in the format requested. Data in respect of complaints referred to the Health Services Ombudsman is not collected. However the Ombudsman publishes annual data on the number of complaints they receive.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned date of publication is for statistics on the number of current or former armed forces personnel referred to and seen by the NHS Veterans' Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is currently considering the most appropriate format and mechanism for the information around the number of current or former armed forces personnel referred to and seen by the NHS Veterans' Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service to be published. No date for publication has been set.

Prisons: Health Services

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether public and private sector prisons have different healthcare providers; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Prisoners should have access to the same range and quality of health services, including mental health services, as the general public receives from the National Health Service.Since 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning healthcare in all prisons in England. However, there are five private prisons where primary healthcare services are commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. In these five private prisons some secondary healthcare services, including substance misuse and mental health, are commissioned by NHS England.Healthcare services are provided by a range of NHS and non-NHS organisations.Local Health Boards are responsible for commissioning healthcare services in public sector prisons in Wales.

Spinal Injuries

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for NHS England to respond to its service review on specialist spinal cord injury services; and what the timetable is for further steps to be taken in relation to that review.

Steve Brine: In September 2017 the Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group at NHS England approved the recommended Case for Change for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) services. Recommendations include improvements in efficiency and standardisation within the current eight SCI centres, and an increase in SCI service provision. No timeline has yet been determined by NHS England for implementation.

NHS: Training

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequacy of the availability of training opportunities for new professionals in the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: Responsibility for supporting staff to meet their training requirements rests with individual National Health Service employers. NHS trusts and their boards are best placed to assess what courses staff require to fulfil clinical duties such as infection prevention or cannulation training, and core employment requirements such as information governance or health and safety courses. Historically, Health Education England (HEE) has provided support at a national level for NHS workforce development, including career development through the funding of postgraduate qualifications. However, with the changing education and training landscape and financial climate, HEE is focussing on how its funding is used to best effect. HEE recognises the importance of supporting NHS providers to meet their responsibility for the development of the current workforce. HEE invests up to £300 million per year on supporting NHS staff reach registered qualifications, and a further £80 million on workforce transformation projects agreed locally, some of which prioritise training courses for ongoing development.

NHS: Vacancies

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fill vacant diagnostic positions in the NHS.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made for the number of new specialists needed to meet the demand for (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) care of people with cancer.

Steve Brine: In the Cancer Workforce Plan for England which was published in December 2017, Health Education England (HEE) set out the case for the need to target additional training support for clinical radiology, histopathology, oncology and diagnostic and therapeutic radiography. HEE will consider whether further action is required to increase supply beyond 2021 in the light of the longer-term health and care workforce strategy which is expected to be published by the end of this year. Locally, responsibility for assessing and managing staffing levels, including specialty staff, rests with individual National Health Service trusts and their boards who are best placed to decide how many staff they need to provide a given service.

Cancer: Health Professions

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the budget for NHS England is allocated to the training of new cancer specialists.

Steve Brine: In 2016/17 Health Education England (HEE) spent approximately £2.7 billion on training medical and dental students. It is not possible to provide a breakdown on a specialty basis. Source: HEE Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17.

Slaughterhouses: Inspections

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received complaints from abattoir businesses on the effect on their businesses of the conduct of Food Standards Agency inspectors.

Steve Brine: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a comprehensive complaints procedure in place. Complaints will ordinarily be addressed at local level in the first instance which is an arrangement designed to achieve a resolution at the closest point to delivery. Where a complainant is not satisfied with the local response they can refer the matter to the FSA’s Complaints Co-ordinator who will re-examine the case from an independent perspective. Thereafter, if the complainant remains dissatisfied they can refer their case to the FSA’s Chief Executive for final review. Each year the FSA receives a small number of complaints from abattoir businesses about the conduct of employed or contracted Meat Hygiene Inspectors and/or Official Veterinarians. Set within a context of the FSA having a permanent presence in such establishments the number of complaints received each year is low and typically involve matters relating to regulatory decisions, how such officials have interacted with the complainant, timekeeping or other. Between January 2017 and May 2018, the FSA processed 12 official complaints made by abattoir businesses about the conduct of employed or contracted Meat Hygiene Inspectors or Official Veterinarians. Of these, four cases were upheld or partially upheld and two cases are ongoing. The FSA is not aware of any such complaints being made directly to the Secretary of State for Health in 2017 or the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care since January 2018.

Muscular Dystrophy: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146853 on Muscular Dystrophy: Medical Treatments, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of a cost-effectiveness threshold into NICE's high specialised technology programme on patients' access to new treatments for muscular dystrophy.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146853, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of a cost-effectiveness threshold into NICE's highly specialised technology programme on patients' access to new treatments for muscular dystrophy.

Steve Brine: The changes to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) methodology for the development of highly specialised technology (HST) guidance were introduced following public consultation and create a framework that will enable truly transformative new drugs for patients with rare diseases to be made available to patients where companies are willing to set prices that fairly reflect the added benefit they bring. NICE is currently developing HST guidance on the use of eteplirsen for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Physical Education: GCSE

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on promoting physical education as a GCSE subject in schools.

Steve Brine: Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education, and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport meet as part of the Ministerial School Sport Board. This meeting is used to discuss matters relating to children and young people’s participation in physical education, sport and physical activity.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to promote the provision of mental health services to elderly people living in rural areas.

Jackie Doyle-Price: It is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission services based on the needs of their populations. More broadly, sustainability and transformation partnerships are implementing plans to integrate services across their local area, and to promote collaborative working across health services, local authorities and other partners to address the health needs of their particular local population. NHS England’s work to increase older people’s access to psychological therapies through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme is intended to support older people across the country, including in rural areas. NHS England has introduced financial incentives through the Mental Health Quality Premium in 2017/18 and 2018/19 to reward CCGs for improvements in access to, and outcomes from, IAPT services for under-represented groups, in particular older people. We are also continuing work to improve the identification and treatment of older people’s mental health issues in primary care. NHS England and NHS Improvement have published ‘A Practice Primer on Mental Health in Older People’ for colleagues in primary care, in particular general practitioners (GPs), which highlights symptoms often attributed to ‘old age’ but where a mental health diagnosis and follow-up is more appropriate. The publication is supported by the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Geriatrics Society and Age UK. The primer can be viewed via the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/a-practice-primer-on-mental-health-in-older-people/

Lyme Disease

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to help improve (a) professional and (b) public awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease.

Steve Brine: In April 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a new Lyme disease guideline for use by healthcare professionals available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95 An e-learning course on Lyme disease hosted by the Royal College of General Practitioners is also available at the following link: http://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=164 Public Health England (PHE) hosts regular training sessions for registered medical practitioners and practice nurses and produces factsheets for the public about being tick aware and how to recognise the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. PHE produces a leaflet describing the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and the actions to take if someone has any of these signs after a tick bite or possible tick exposure, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lyme-disease-signs-and-symptoms Information for the public is also available through the NHS Choices website at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease

Rare Diseases: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 31 May 2018 to Question 146854 on Rare Diseases: Drugs, whether NHS England can be mandated by NICE to enter discussions with manufacturers on managed access agreements as part of an evaluation of highly specialised technology; and what criteria are used by NICE to decide when to initiate discussions between NHS England and manufacturers on managed access arrangements as part of an evaluation of a highly specialised technology.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has no powers to require NHS England to enter discussions with manufacturers, and there are no specific criteria used to decide when to initiate discussions with a manufacturer. However, a managed access arrangement will be considered a potential option when the highly specialised technology evaluation committee considers that such an arrangement would have the potential to resolve the uncertainties and manage the risk for a particular topic. For example, when evidence collection could resolve a clinical uncertainty or when clear starting and stopping criteria would manage financial or economic risks. In circumstances where a managed access agreement is a potential option, NICE will ask NHS England, companies and other stakeholders to enter into discussions on managed access agreements.

Public Health: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether activities funded under section 7A of the public health functions agreement are included as part of the multi-year NHS England funding announced by the Prime Minister on 18 June 2018.

Steve Brine: Funding for activities specified under the National Health Service public health functions agreement (made under section 7A of the NHS Act 2006) are included within the 2018-19 baseline for the multi-year NHS England funding agreement on NHS England resource budgets, under which the NHS budget will grow by over £20 billion, in real terms, by 2023-24. No decision has yet been taken on the share of funds to be allocated to public health functions under the multi-year financial settlement. Decisions on investment in public health functions from this settlement are subject to the development of the long-term NHS plan, which will be brought forward through close working between the NHS and the Government, in consultation with patients and the public.

Health Services: Costs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made the effect of people adopting mutual health cash plans on cost pressures in the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The Department has made no such assessment.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with key stakeholders on the implementation of Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships.

Stephen Barclay: The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly meets a wide range of stakeholders from across the National Health Service, local government and others, to discuss the implementation of sustainability and transformation partnerships.

Alzheimer's Disease

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase public and health professionals' awareness of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and (b) promote the early diagnosis of that disease.

Caroline Dinenage: Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of dementia and improving early diagnosis is a key part of the Dementia 2020 Challenge. Through the Dementia Friends initiative, we are raising awareness and understanding among the wider public to ensure that people are supported to live well with the condition. There are now almost 2.5 million Dementia Friends. As part of the NHS health check programme, people aged 65 to 74 are provided with information on the signs and symptoms of dementia, the availability of memory services in their locality, as well as on health and lifestyle factors which may increase the risk of developing dementia. Awareness and recognition of the symptoms of dementia is one of the areas covered in the Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework, which sets out the skills and knowledge required by all staff working with people with dementia in health and social care settings. Health professionals are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date by taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients. NICE has published a guideline on the assessment, management and support of people living with dementia and their carers, which was updated in June 2018, and which contains recommendations to assist diagnosis. NHS England has set a national ambition for dementia diagnosis which was achieved in November 2015. NHS England continues to monitor progress to ensure that the ambition is maintained and addresses variations at a local level through the provision of intensive support. Dementia diagnosis rates are included in the clinical commissioning group (CCG) Improvement and Assessment Framework, which enables CCGs to assess their performance and deliver longer-term improvements to dementia diagnosis services.

Lyme Disease

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department funds research into Lyme Disease; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is funding research into Lyme disease diagnostics through the NIHR Health Protection Research Units. We are investing over £1 billion a year in health research through the NIHR. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including on Lyme disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Medical Equipment: UK Trade with EU

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the capacity of UK (a) sea ports and (b) airports to maintain the supply of critical medical devices in the event that frictionless trade is not maintained with European Union countries following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to maintain the supply of critical medical devices in the event that frictionless trade is not maintained with European Union countries following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Steve Brine: Patient safety is paramount in our exit negotiations and maintaining continuity of supply of medical products is a key part of ensuring patients continue to receive the safe high-quality care they need on day one of European Union exit and thereafter. The Department is working closely with cross-Government agencies to ensure that there is no disruption to the supply of medical devices following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, regardless of the terms of the withdrawal. This includes enhancing existing supply chain resilience, scoping out alternative sources of supply and providing means to access critical medical devices at short notice.

Obesity: Children

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Chapter 2 of the Childhood Obesity plan, what the timetable is for the consultation on a 9.00pm watershed on junk food adverts.

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Chapter 2 of the Childhood Obesity Plan, what each of the 13 consultations arising from will consider.

Steve Brine: ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2’ announced seven consultations on: introducing a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of products high in fat salt and sugar (HFSS) and similar protection online; banning price promotions for HFSS products; banning location promotions for HFSS products; ending the sale of energy drinks to children, introducing consistent calorie labelling for the out of home sector in England; strengthening Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services; and revised plans to the Healthy Start vouchers to provide additional support to children from lower income families. All consultations will be launched before the end of 2018. ‘Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2’ is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2

Occupational Therapy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that occupational therapists are deployed to provide (a) mental and (b) physical health interventions at a primary care level.

Steve Brine: Occupational therapists work with people of all ages and backgrounds who are affected by accident, physical and mental illness, disability or ageing. The GP Forward View includes commitments to the greater use of non-medical clinicians in primary care. There are well developed models for paramedics, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) to work alongside family doctors and practice nurses. Improved direct access to AHPs will avoid placing demands solely on any one profession or part of the system, improve access for patients and increase capacity within the system.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will write to clinical commissioning groups to ask them to improve access to mental health support in primary care.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a key role to ensure that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) deliver the best possible services and outcomes for patients within their financial allocation. In March 2016, NHS England introduced the Improvement and Assessment Framework for CCGs (CCG IAF), which sets out that CCGs will be assessed against health outcomes and care quality. In the GP Forward View, we committed to investment in an extra 3,000 mental health therapists to work in primary care by 2020, which is an average of a full-time therapist for every 2-3 typical sized general practitioner (GP) practices. CCGs are responsible for planning and commissioning services which meet the needs of the local population. CCGs commission most secondary care services including mental health services and play a part in the commissioning of GP services. The Mental Health Investment Standard means that CCGs are required to increase their mental health expenditure year on year by more than their overall allocation growth. The Mental Health Investment Standard is being introduced into planning guidance from 2018/19 so all CCGs will have to meet it. The Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard is available online and provides detailed breakdowns on spend, including by individual CCG, for the past two financial years. 85% of CCGs increased their mental health expenditure in excess of the overall growth in their allocation in 2016/17. The NHS is reporting a planned expenditure of £11.86 billion on mental health for 2017/18.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2018 to Question 146799 on procurement, how long that contractor has been employed by his Department at that daily rate.

Robert Buckland: With reference to the previous question 146799 the Crown Prosecution Service currently has one contractor engaged whose fees exceed £1,000. The contract commencement date was 25th May 2018 with an estimated duration of 40 days in total to be carried out on an ad-hoc basis.

Financial Services: Prosecutions

John McDonnell: To ask the Attorney General, how many (a) bank employees and (b) directors have been prosecuted for their role in the 2007-08 financial crisis; and what the outcome was of those prosecutions.

Jeremy Wright: The SFO has brought charges against four employees including former chief executives of Barclays Plc as part of its criminal investigation into Barclays and its capital raising arrangements with Qatar Holding LLC and Challenger Universal Ltd in June and October 2008. The case is ongoing.Additionally, a total of 13 employees including former senior bankers have so far had criminal proceedings commenced against them for fraudulently fixing the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in the run up to and during the crisis - four trials have concluded including a retrial. So far, in total, there have been five convictions and eight acquittals. Those convicted were jailed for a total of more than 27 years and each received confiscation orders totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.The SFO has also charged 11 employees including former senior bankers in respect of fixing the European Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR), five of which are currently at trial. One defendant, Christian Bittar, a former Managing Director, has pleaded guilty to the charges. There are currently European Arrest Warrants issued in respect of the remaining five suspects.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Business: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many business owners he met during his visit to the Northern Ireland border in April 2018.

Mr Robin Walker: Details of formal Ministerial meetings on Departmental business are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK. The Secretary of State undertook a private, low-key visit to Northern Ireland on 23 April to deepen his understanding of one of the key issues of Brexit. He met a range of stakeholders in Northern Ireland, including representatives from the agriculture and agrifood sectors and assured them that the Government will uphold our commitments made to the people of Northern Ireland and the Belfast Agreement.

Economic Situation: Falkland Islands

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the economy of the Falkland Islands.

Mr Robin Walker: I most recently met the Hon. Teslyn Barkman, the Falkland MLA leading on Exit, at the 4th Joint Ministerial Council Overseas Territories EU Negotiations held on the 14th of June. Through discussions in this forum, supported by official contact, the Government understands the importance to the economic wellbeing of the Falklands Islands of their access to the EU market for fish and meat. The Government welcomes the substantive input we have received from the Falkland Islands’ Government as the UK prepares to exit the EU. The UK Government and the Government of the Falkland Islands also share a determination to make the most of the opportunities to expand into new, global markets that our departure from the EU creates.

Department for Education

Academies: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June to Question 140739, which multi academy trusts (MATs) have been funded through the £22,445,410 to increase MAT capacity; how much each MAT has received; and how many new schools each of those MATS has sponsored since they were awarded that funding.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 15 June 2018



In 2016/17, £11,115,184 was allocated to multi-academy trusts (MATs) in the north through the Regional Academy Growth Fund (RAGF). A list of these trusts and how much each MAT received is attached. A list of all MATs that received capacity funding through RAGF is listed on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regional-academy-growth-fund-award-recipients. Between 1 March 2017 and 1 May 2018, 173 schools have opened in trusts in the north that were awarded RAGF. This includes sponsored and converter academies which reflects the aims of the fund. It does not include free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges, academies that may have joined through re-brokerage from another trust, or schools that opened as part of these trusts before 1 March 2017 or those in the process of joining. A list of all open sponsored and converter academies can be found on GOV.UK along with the trust they joined and the date of opening within that trust: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development. In 2018/19, £11.3 million was provisionally allocated to MATs in the north through the MAT Development & Improvement Fund (MDIF). In line with the department’s normal practice, we expect to publish details of the recipients of the MDIF on GOV.UK in due course.



152776_Trusts_in_the_north_awarded_through_RAGF
(Word Document, 111 KB)

Schools: Finance

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance on funding his Department has issued to local education authorities (LEAs) on the passing of funding issued under the national funding formula from LEAs through to schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: As we introduce the national funding formula, local authorities will continue to set local formulae to determine how their Schools Block is divided between individual schools in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Guidance to local authorities, setting out compulsory and optional elements of local formulae, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pre-16-schools-funding-guidance-for-2018-to-2019.

Schools: Finance

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of money allocated to each local education authority was passed directly to schools under the National Funding Formula in each local education authority area.

Nick Gibb: The national funding formula for schools is used to determine Schools Block allocations for local authorities. Local authorities will continue to set local formulae to determine individual schools’ budgets in 2018-19 and 2019-20. In July, the Department will publish details of the local schools funding formulae in 2018-19. This will include total funding distributed by each local authority through their local funding formula. This information can be compared with the Schools Block allocations that the Department has published:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019.

Sure Start Programme: Child Benefit

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of trends in the level of (a) sure start centres and (b) child benefit claims.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has not made a comparative assessment. The social mobility action plan, ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, sets a clear direction for all those who have a part to play, including those responsible for children’s centres. Our focus now is on delivering this, including through a £10 million investment to build the evidence base for what works, and the £8.5 million local government programme, working with the Local Government Association. Through this programme of local authority peer support and challenge we will work with sector leaders to identify best practice in closing the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, including through children’s centres.

Education

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of attainment in each region of the UK.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education produces statistics for England only. The Department publishes pupil attainment in a number of headline measures for each region of England; these figures can be compared to the national average for all pupils. Headline measures for Key Stage 2 for each region in England are published at the following link for the academic years 2009/10 – 2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-key-stage-2[1].Due to change in methodology and headline measures, figures are only comparable between 2009/10 – 2014/15 and 2015/16 – 2016/17. Headline measures for Key Stage 4 for each region in England are published at the following link for the academic years 2009/10 – 2016/17: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4[2]. Due to changes in methodology and headline measures, these figures are not comparable year on year after 2013/14. Changes include the introduction of Wolf reform and early entry policy in 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively and the implementation of a new accountability system in 2016 to include Attainment 8 and Progress 8 as headline measures, replacing the 5 A*-C including English and mathematics measure[3]. Headline measures for 16-18 study for each region in England are published for the academic years 2009/10 – 2016/17 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years[4]. Due to changes in methodology and headline measures, figures are only comparable between 2009/10 – 2014/15 and 2015/16 – 2016/17. [1] For each year, select the ‘revised’ publication and then open the ‘Local authority and regional tables’. For 2015/16 – 2016/17 the headline measures are the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard and can be found in tables L1, L2 and L3. For 2009/10 – 2014/15 the headline measures are the percentage achieving level 4 or above and can be found in tables 12-16 (2013/14 – 2014/15); tables 12-15 (2012/13); tables 13-15 (2011/12); table 11 (2010/11); table 18 (2009/10 – in the ‘national and local authority tables’).[2] For 2009/10 – 2014/15 select the ‘revised’ publication for 2014/15 and open the ‘main local authority tables’ and then table LA2 which presents a time series of the headline measure. For 2015/16 - 2016/17 the headline measure was changed to Progress 8 and achievement of the English Baccalaureate which can be found in revised publication for each year, in the LA tables, in table LA1.[3]https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493295/SFR01_2016_QualityandMethodology.pdf. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584167/SFR03_2017_QualityandMethodology.pdf.[4] For each year, select the ‘revised’ publication and then open the ‘Local authority tables’. For 2015/16 - 2016/17 the headline attainment measures are the average point score (APS) per entry and APS per entry expressed as a grade for each qualification type. These can be found in table ‘9a all’ (2016/17); table 9a (2015/16); table 12c (2014/15); table 12a (2012/13 - 2013/14); table 9a (2011/12); table 10 (2010/11); table 9 (2009/10).

Schools: Admissions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to amend the School Admissions Code to ensure that summer born children can (a) be admitted to reception at the age of five if on request of their parents and (b) remain with that cohort as they progress through (i) primary and (ii) secondary school.

Nick Gibb: The Department is committed to amending the School Admissions Code so that summer born children can be admitted to a reception class at the age of five when their parents believe it to be in their best interests, and can remain with the cohort with which they are admitted as they progress through their education.The Department is giving careful consideration to how changes might be made in a way that avoids unintended consequences elsewhere in the system. Any changes to the Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The Department will consider the appropriate time for consulting on these changes in the context of competing pressures on the parliamentary timetable.

Construction: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the provision of high quality construction training.

Anne Milton: The government has recently announced a £22 million Construction Skills Fund, for which bids will open in July 2018. This initiative will bring training to working construction sites, allowing learners to apply their knowledge in a real workplace, and easing their transition into their new career. The fund is designed to meet the needs of employers and people wanting to join the construction industry, particularly adult learners. This will also increase opportunities for work placements in the long-term and support the delivery of high quality construction T Levels by 2020. The construction industry’s structure is dominated by small businesses and is cyclical, with a weak record of investment, including in skills. It is therefore one of two industries which has an industry training board, the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), funded by a sector levy, to oversee and coordinate skills demand. We published a review of CITB last autumn and it is now embarking on a transformational reform programme. Reforms will see the CITB refocus on its core mission of working with industry to make sure there is availability and access to high quality construction training provision in order to meet the industry’s skills needs. We are developing new T Level programmes which are central to reforming technical education, to improve workforce skills and drive productivity growth. One of the first three T Levels to be delivered from 2020 will be in Construction. The outline content for this T Level was developed by employers and published on 25 May. Apprenticeships provide people of all ages with the opportunity to progress in work and life, giving them a clear route to success. We will create three million quality apprenticeships in England; making them longer and better, with more off-the job training and an assessment at the end. New apprenticeship standards across all levels are being designed and driven by industry; creating higher quality training that will lead to a more skilled and productive economy.

Education: Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of education funding for 16 to 18 year olds.

Anne Milton: We recognise that every young person should have access to an excellent education. This is why we announced in the last spending review that we will continue to protect the base rate of funding for all 16 to 19-year olds until 2020. We are also providing disadvantage funding (over £500 million in 2017/18), and other uplifts in addition to the base rate of funding for programmes that are more expensive to deliver, such as large academic and technical programmes and those with higher costs. We have announced funding increases to strengthen education for 16 to 18-year olds in key respects. The department is providing extra funding to support institutions to grow participation in level 3 mathematics (an extra £600 for every additional student), and to pilot additional support for post-16 basic mathematics. Our commitment to the 16 to 19 sector has contributed to the current record high proportion of 16 to 17-year olds who are participating in education or apprenticeships since consistent records began. Furthermore, a substantial investment was announced in technical education for 16 to 19-year olds, rising eventually to an extra £500 million a year when T Levels are fully rolled out. We are considering the efficiency and resilience of the further education sector, and will be assessing how far existing and forecast funding and regulatory structures meet the costs for a high quality provision. This work will align closely with the Post-18 Funding Review to ensure a coherent vision for further and higher education.

Schools: Admissions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Treasury on providing support for low-income families in (a) England and (b) Coventry who incur additional extra travel costs due to their children not being allocated a place at one of their top three choices of school.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 508B of the Education Act 1996 to make travel arrangements to enable all eligible children of compulsory school age to attend their nearest suitable school. Suitable in this context means the nearest school, with places available, that provides education appropriate to the age and ability of the child.There are additional rights to free home to school transport for children who are entitled to Free School Meals or whose parents are in receipt of the maximum Working Tax Credit. This is known as Extended Rights.For these pupils, local authorities have a statutory duty to provide free transport where the nearest suitable school is:Beyond two miles (if over age eight, but below age 11); orBeyond two miles but less than six miles (age 11 or over) and there are not more than three suitable nearer schools); orBeyond two miles but under 15 miles (age 11 or over) where attending the nearest suitable school on the grounds of religion or belief.  On 26 January 2018, the Department announced a total amount of £19,023,900 in local authorities’ revenue allocations, for the financial year 2018-19, to support them in their duties under Extended Rights. Coventry City Council was allocated £48,400.

Schools: Transport

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in (a) England and (b) Coventry have to travel out of their ward to attend school.

Nick Gibb: Of the 7.3 million pupils in England as of January 2017 in reception to Year 11 year groups, 4.1 million (or 56.6 per cent) attended a school located outside the ward where the pupil lives. For pupils living in Coventry local authority, 25,700 (or 52.2 per cent) attended a school located in the electoral ward where the pupil lives and 23,600 (or 47.8 per cent) attend a school located outside the ward where the pupil lives.It is important to note that some children will be travelling further distances to attend specialist provision, whilst others may live close to boundary lines and travelling outside of the ward involves a shorter than expected journey to reach school, or they may choose to travel further in order to attend a preferred school.

Students: Fees and Charges

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plays any role in the setting of university tuition fees; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The government sets maximum fees for home students studying undergraduate courses. These will remain at £9,250 for full-time courses for the 2018/19 and 2019/20 academic years. Universities are able to set the precise level of fees they charge provided they do not exceed these caps.

STEM Subjects: Females

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has had recent discussions with the Minister for Women and Inequalities on increasing the number of girls who choose to study STEM subjects at school; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government has taken focused action to increase the take-up of STEM subjects amongst all teenagers, and since 2010 there has been an 18 per cent increase in the number of entries by girls to STEM A levels in England. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, plans to meet the Minister for Women and Equalities in the coming months to discuss how to build on this so that more girls are taking STEM subjects at all levels. The Department funds the Institute of Physics to deliver an intervention to increase the number of girls studying physics at A level. The Department also funds a number of other programmes to improve the quality of teaching STEM subjects and to encourage take up. For instance, the Department is investing £84 million to improve the teaching of computing and increase participation in computer science. This includes a programme to identify effective approaches to increase participation in computer science amongst girls.

Schools: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money allocated to the Northern Powerhouse schools strategy has been spent (a) in total, (b) in Bradford and (c) on teacher recruitment.

Nadhim Zahawi: In answer to part (a) how much money has been spent in total and part (c) how much money has been spent on teacher recruitment, I refer the hon. Member for Bradford East, to the answer I gave on 11 June 2018 to Question 140739 https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-05-02/140739/.This sets out how the government has spent or committed more than £70 million to support educational improvement in the North, including on teacher recruitment.In answer to part (b), we are not able to provide a total figure for Bradford as some funding, such as funding to grow the capacity of multi-academy trusts, is spent or allocated to support schools across more than one local authority. Some examples of how the Department is supporting Bradford schools are set out below:We are supporting teacher recruitment and providing tailored support to some of the schools facing significant recruitment and retention issues. We have already started to support a number of schools in Bradford and will increase that support over the next two years through the tailored support programme.We are also investing in Bradford’s teachers through the Opportunity Area (OA). Bradford4Teaching is the city’s innovative campaign to attract the best teachers to live, work and build a career in Bradford. The campaign was developed and has been delivered in partnership by Bradford Council and the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance. Through the OA programme, we are committed to invest at least £250,000 to extend the campaign. The Department is also committing an additional £1.5 million to support school improvement in Bradford’s most challenging schools through the OA programme. In total, as part of the OA programme, we are spending £72 million across 12 areas of the country facing challenges and Bradford will benefit from a share of that.The regional academy growth fund supports successful trusts to grow and to improve standards in underperforming schools. Schools in Bradford that are underperforming have already benefited from this funding.Through the Strategic School Improvement Fund, five applicants are supporting a total of 43 schools in Bradford. Two of the five applicants are exclusively supporting 31 Bradford schools and have been awarded funding totalling £807,970. The remaining three applications are supporting a total of 78 schools at a cost of £809,157. 12 of these schools are located in Bradford but it is not possible to isolate spend for the Bradford schools.

Teachers: North of England

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people in the regions covered by the Northern Powerhouse schools strategy have (a) joined and (b) left the teaching profession since November 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: Data for the period since 2017 is not available. Data for the period November 2017 to November 2018 will be collected later this year and published in 2019.Information on the entrants and leavers is not available by region.

Universities: Mental Health Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services at universities in (a) England and (b) Birmingham.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universities: Mental Health Services

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had and with whom on funding for mental health services at universities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Students: Occupational Therapy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will take steps with the Department for Health and Social Care to establish locally agreed referral processes to enable (a) sixth form schools and (b) higher education institutions to access occupational therapy for students.

Nadhim Zahawi: Referral pathways for occupational therapy are agreed by local commissioners, based on local need, reflecting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and other relevant commissioning guidance. Through the Children and Families Act 2014, the Department for Education requires local authorities and their partner commissioning bodies to make arrangements to work together to meet the education, health and care needs of children and young people (0-25 years old) who have special educational needs and disabilities, who may be in need of occupational therapy. The Department for Education, and Department for Health and Social Care are working with NHS England, local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups and other partners to support local bodies to work together to jointly commission services to meet individual needs of children and young people. Sixth form colleges have duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 to co-operate with local authorities in the provision of services and use their best endeavours to support young people where additional needs have been identified. As autonomous and independent organisations, it is for Higher Education Institutions to determine what therapy services they need to provide to their students. Each institution will be best placed to identify the needs of their particular student body, including taking actions in line with any legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. In addition, we are in the process of introducing a University Mental Health Charter, backed by the government and led by the sector. This will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing.

Family Drug and Alcohol Court: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to continue funding the National Unit for Family Drug and Alcohol Courts; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Family Drug and Alcohol Court

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Family Drug and Alcohol Court

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many cases have been heard by each Family Drug and Alcohol Court since their inception.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Voyeurism

Mrs Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the Government classified up-skirting as a sex offence.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 27 June 2018



The Government’s Bill inserts new provisions into the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This enables the most serious offenders who commit the crime for sexual motives to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Plastic Surgery: Negligence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of negligent cosmetic procedure cases that were brought to court in the last two years.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Buildings

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many days each Minister his Department spent in Petty France between 17 July 2016 to 12 June 2018.

Edward Argar: The information requested is not collected and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders are being held in prisons in Leicestershire.

Rory Stewart: As at 31 March 2018 (the latest published data), 37 Foreign National Offenders were held at HM Prison Leicester and 107 were held at HM Prison Gartree. We are absolutely committed to removing Foreign National Offenders from the UK and continue to work closely with international governments to increase the number of prisoners deported. Since 2010, over 42,000 Foreign National Offenders have been removed from the United Kingdom.

Prisoners: Veterans

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of former service personnel admitted to prison who do not identify as former members of the armed forces; and what information he holds on the reasons for such non-disclosure.

Rory Stewart: The department does not hold estimates on the number of prisoners not disclosing their military service. However, we made changes in 2015 so every individual coming into custody (convicted or remanded) in England and Wales is asked if they have served in the Armed Forces. Figures on custodial receptions show approximately 3% of offenders who responded to the question were former members of the Armed Forces. This percentage has remained stable over the previous 18 months.In 2014 the department commissioned a review into Former Members of the Armed Forces and the Criminal Justice System. It was suggested that some individuals may be reluctant about self-identifying, due to their embarrassment at having served in the Armed Forces. The review is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/former-members-of-the-armed-forces-and-the-criminal-justice-system We recognise the unique nature of military service. Prisoners who choose to identify as former members of the Armed Forces are given access to specialist support that is available to them via the armed forces and the specialist charities that work in prisons.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Finance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether community rehabilitation companies in England and Wales received any funds over their agreed contract during the (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18 financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The following amounts were paid to Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) above their agreed contracts; £0 in 2015/16, £41.01m in 2016/17 and £51.92m in 2017/18. These payments were made for a variety of reasons and cannot be broken down by CRC because the information is commercially sensitive. Furthermore, some concessions were agreed with CRCs on a case-by-case basis to enable them to re-invest contractual payment deductions in key areas of the business and improve services. We changed CRC contracts in summer 2017 so that payments to providers are more reflective of the costs of delivering services to offenders. CRCs continue to be paid based on the activities they deliver to offenders and their performance in reducing reoffending. They have not received additional one-off payments as a result of these contract changes. The number of cases allocated to CRCs and the volume of work resulting from sentence requirements are lower than had been originally forecast, reducing expected CRC revenues. I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Hon Member for East Surrey 19 July 2017 (HCWS81).

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Standards

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what criteria are used to evaluate the quality of services provided by community rehabilitation companies in England and Wales.

Rory Stewart: Robust assurance of Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) performance is provided through operational contract management backed up by regular Operational Assurance audits, and Internal Audit activity as required. There is regular monitoring of service delivery, including a focus on validating published performance management information. CRC performance information showing services levels against a range of measures is released quarterly as part of the Community Performance Quarterly Management Information.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-quarterly-mi-update-to-june-2017

Prisons: Construction

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new prisons he plans to have built to meet the November 2016 commitment to build up to 10,000 modern prison places; and where those prisons are planned to be located.

Rory Stewart: The government set out its ambition for a reformed prison estate in the November 2016 Prison Safety and Reform White Paper. This included a commitment to build up to 10,000 modern prison places which will provide the conditions to enable governors to achieve better educational, training and rehabilitation outcomes.I wrote to the Chair of the Justice Committee on 26 June 2018 updating him on progress on the Government’s prison transformation programme. A copy of the letter has been placed in the House Library.

Crimes of Violence: Convictions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice,  how many people were convicted of (a) domestic abuse and (b) violence against (i) two, (ii) three and (ii) four or more persons in the last ten years.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice does not hold this data. Offences involving domestic abuse or violence can take various forms and are prosecuted under the offence in law that best reflects their nature and circumstances, for example, harassment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a public order offence. These offences can take the form of domestic violence or abuse or non-domestic violence or abuse. Data collected from courts does not distinguish between the two.

Sexual Offences: Reoffenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many registered sex offenders have re-offended while in the community in each of the last 10 years.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice does not keep the figures requested and to obtain them would incur disproportionate cost. This is because not all offenders subject to the sexual offenders’ notification requirements (often know as registered sex offenders) are subject to statutory supervision by the National Probation Service. However, published statistics are available for the period requested on proven re-offending rates of adult and juvenile offenders with an index sexual offence. These figures include those offenders released from custody and those who received a non-custodial conviction at court and then commit a further proven offence within a 12 month follow up period. It should be noted that a small number of these cases will not have met the criteria to be subject to the notification requirements.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/702786/proven-reoffending-apr16-jun16-annual.xlsx Public protection is our highest priority. Not all sexual offenders who are made subject to the notification requirements serve a custodial sentence. Any sexual offender released from prison and subject to licensed supervision in the community who is caught breaching his licence conditions faces being immediately recalled to prison. A breach of the notification requirements is a criminal offence and punishable by up to 5 years’ imprisonment.

Legal Aid Scheme

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will reintroduce legal aid for early advice as part of the Government’s review of legal aid.

Lucy Frazer: Early legal advice is available for all cases within the scope of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), subject to an assessment of means and merits. The post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made by and under LASPO, includes changes to the scope of early legal advice and legal representation. We are currently in the engagement phase of this review and are using this opportunity to gather information from stakeholders and other interested parties to inform our wider consideration on the future of early advice and other forms of legal support in the justice system.

Legal Aid Scheme

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that legal aid is available to people who need it.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made under Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and remains committed to publishing the findings by the end of this year.The post-implementation review will assess the extent to which LASPO targeted legal aid to those who need it most – which was one of the objectives set out at the time of the reforms.We are currently in the engagement phase of the post-implementation review. The first meetings of the consultative groups took place in April to provide evidence which will inform the review process. Officials within my Department will continue to meet with interested parties throughout the summer. We are using this opportunity to inform our wider consideration on the future of legal support in the justice system.

Sexual Offences: Sentencing

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders convicted in the last five years of (a) rape and (b) sexual assaults against (i) adults and (ii) minors were sentenced to (A) no time in in custody, (B) up to 90 days in custody, (C) 91 to 180 days in custody, (D) 181 days to one year in custody, (E) more than one year to two years in custody, (F) more than two years to three years in custody, (G) more than three years to four years in custody, (H) more than four years to five years in custody, (I) more than five years to six years in custody, (J) more than six years to seven years in custody, (K) more than seven years to eight years in custody, (L) more than eight years to nine years in custody, (M) more than nine years to 10 years in custody, (N) more than 10 years to 15 years in custody, (O) more than 15 years to 20 years in custody and (P) more than 20 years in custody.

Rory Stewart: Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence and the offender, including any aggravating factors (e.g. previous convictions) and any mitigating factors (e.g. age and/or lack of maturity where it affects the responsibility of the offender), in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 breaks down the offences of rape and sexual assault by victims who are aged under 13 and victims who are aged 13 or over. The number of offenders convicted of 1) rape of a victim aged 13 or over, contrary to section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, 2) rape of a child under 13, contrary to section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, 3) sexual assault of a victim aged 13 or over, contrary to sections 2 and 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and 4) sexual assault of a child under 13, contrary to sections 6 and 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, broken down by the custodial sentence lengths requested, can be viewed in the table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 22.52 KB)

Undocumented Workers: Convictions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2018 to Question 131686 on Undocumented Workers, how many people have been convicted of the offence of illegal working since the introduction of that offence.

Rory Stewart: The Home Office is responsible for policy and legislation on immigration, including the offence of illegal working under section 24B of the Immigration Act 1971 which was inserted by section 34 of the Immigration Act 2016. Centrally held court data shows no cases where offenders have been convicted of that offence.

Cemeteries: Ribble Valley

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who is responsible for monitoring developers when they are working in graveyards which are still consecrated ground, such as the Calderstones former hospital cemetery in Ribble Valley constituency; and if he will make an assessment of the need for a statutory body to monitor this activity.

Edward Argar: The Government has no plans to make such an assessment. The development of former burial grounds, whether or not they are consecrated, is subject to planning regulations and to any conditions placed on the granting of individual planning permissions. Relevant health and safety and environmental legislation would also apply. Monitoring compliance with these requirements is a matter for the relevant local authority in the first instance. The disturbance of human remains in ground consecrated to the rites of the Church of England must be authorised by the Church of England. For unconsecrated ground, authorisation is required from the Secretary of State for Justice. The unauthorised disturbance of human remains is a criminal offence and, therefore, a matter for the police.

Birmingham Prison: Civil Disorder

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2018 to Question 152832 on Birmingham Prison: Civil Disorder, when the investigation report into the riots at HMP Birmingham are planned to be made available to interested parties.

Rory Stewart: As I said in my response on 20 June to question 152832, we plan to make a suitably redacted version of the investigation report available on request to interested parties once we are assured all court proceedings are finally concluded.

Prison Officers

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2018 to Question 152833 on Prison Officers, what assessment he has made of the effect on prison officers of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission excluding the Prison Service from the category of uniformed services in its 2011 report.

Rory Stewart: No assessment was made of the effect on Prison Officers after the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission report. The published report made particular reference to the front-line services of the Armed Forces, Police and Fire Service as these workforces had a Normal Pension Age (NPA) of below 60. The recommendation was that this should be raised to a minimum of 60, with the expectation of further reviews and potential increases in the future. Prison Officers were not specifically mentioned in the report as their NPA was already set at either 60 or 65 (apart from those who were in post on or before 30 September 1987 who exceptionally retained Reserved Rights to an NPA of 55). In 2007 the Prison Officer trade union (The POA) signed up to a NPA of 65 for new recruits taken on after 1 July 2007, who were auto-enrolled into the Career Average scheme.

Ministry of Justice: Serco

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many contracts which his Department has open for tender Serco is bidding on.

Rory Stewart: The information requested could not be provided as it is commercially sensitive.

Knives: Sentencing

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average age is of people given a custodial sentence for carrying a knife.

Rory Stewart: In the year ending March 2018, the average age of an offender being sent to immediate custody for possession of an article with a blade or point was 30 years old.

Guardianship

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the correspondence of the hon. Member for Cardiff West to his Department of 26 June 2018, ref MC57534, on account of which key Government priorities the officials working on the guardianship legislation have not been able to complete the preparation of that legislation.

Edward Argar: The Government is committed to bringing the Guardianship (Missing Persons) Act 2017 into force as soon as possible. This depends upon the creation of the necessary secondary legislation and administrative systems in the courts and the Office of the Public Guardian to define and support the working of the new procedure. The officials responsible for the implementation of the guardianship legislation work on a wide range of subjects, but the delay in the drafting of the secondary legislation is primarily due to work on the reform of the law relating to the personal injury discount rate. The Civil Liability Bill, which will implement this reform, was passed by the House of Lords on 27 June and introduced into the House of Commons on 28 June. The provisions in the Bill relating to the rate were preceded by public consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Israeli Settlements

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will review the guidance provided to businesses and banks on trading with illegal Israeli settlements.

George Hollingbery: The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and we are firmly opposed to boycotts or sanctions. We do not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the settlements, as part of Israel and they are not covered by the current EU-Israel Association Agreement, which governs our trade with Israel.It is up to individual businesses whether they undertake business dealings with companies operating in illegal settlements. The Government neither supports nor encourages such dealings. The FCO advises businesses on the risks of so doing.

Trade Agreements

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he plans to launch consultations on future trade deals which are to be effective after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Government will be coming forward with plans for future free trade agreements in the near future.The Department for International Trade has engaged widely since the EU referendum with a broad range of stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, devolved administrations, civil society and consumers across the UK. Means of engagement have included townhall meetings, roundtable discussions, webinars, written consultations and bilateral meetings. The Government will continue to engage widely with stakeholders and welcomes continued input as it develops a future trade policy which supports the Government's industrial strategy and businesses and consumers across the whole nation.

Trade Agreements: India

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of establishing a new UK-India trade deal when the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: India is important for our future trading arrangements after we leave the EU. In 2017, UK-India bilateral trade was over £18bn, an increase of 15% on the previous year. The UK has been the top G20 investor in India over the last ten years, with the stock of UK FDI in India at £13.2bn in 2016. UK exports to India in 2017 amounted to £6.7bn (a 14.9% increase from 2016). Travel (28.8%), Transportation (19.8%), and Telecommunications (12.3%) were the biggest export sectors. The UK-India Joint Trade Review (JTR) announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India in 2016, has enabled us to better understand the bilateral trade relationship. The review has audited existing trade flows and mapped non-tariff barriers that could be collaboratively addressed, both at present and as we leave the EU. In April 2018, both Prime Ministers agreed to forge a dynamic new trade partnership – taking forward recommendations from the Review - to develop new trading arrangements, facilitate investment in both directions and intensify collaboration on shared or complementary strengths.Following the recommendations of the JTR, the UK and India agreed to use the next phase of collaborative work to focus on addressing non-tariff measures in three sectors: food and drink, life sciences and ICT. This will be pursued though further business engagement and regulator to regulator dialogues, reporting back to Ministers at the next Joint Economic and Trade Committee. A further outcome of the JTR was a toolkit for Commonwealth Countries to follow and conduct their own trade reviews, available at http://www.cominnowealth.org/display/country-profiles/united-kingdom/. The UK-India joint statement as part of the Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK in April 2018 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-india-joint-statement-shared-values-global-capability

Trade Agreements

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of the value of the UK's international trade in (a) goods and (b) services is conducted under free trade agreements.

Graham Stuart: In 2017, UK goods trade with non-EU countries, with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship due to its membership of the EU, accounted for 12.4% (equivalent to £102bn) of total UK goods trade with the world. In 2016, UK services trade with non-EU countries, with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship due to its membership of the EU, accounted for 11.2% (equivalent to £45bn) of total UK services trade with the world.   SourcesTrade in goods: ONS Trade in goods MRETS (April 2018);Trade in services: ONS Pink Book (October 2017). The next release is scheduled for 31st July 2018. The figures referring to non-EU countries with which the UK has a preferential trading relationship exclude those countries with EU trade agreements that have not been provisionally applied yet, according to the European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/negotiations-and-agreements/#_in-place

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding allocated for house building by housing associations in the event of an economic downturn.

James Brokenshire: We have listened to housing associations and have provided the support they need to build more affordable homes.We have provided an additional £2 billion affordable housing funding to deliver social rent homes in areas of acute affordability pressure, taking our total investment in the Affordable Homes Programme to £9 billion.To help housing associations to continue to build even during a downturn, we have provided a stable investment environment by confirming long term rent certainty.All housing associations must meet the economic standards of the Social Housing Regulator, which include governance and financial accountability.

Housing Associations: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much grant funding has been awarded to for-profit housing associations in each financial year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: Three for-profit social housing providers have received a total of £2,471,290 from the Affordable Homes Programme since 2010. Data showing funding allocations up to January 2017 but is not published for each financial year.

Housing: Construction

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will confirm house building allocations for local authorities to allow them to finalise their local plans.

Dominic Raab: House building allocations are not set by Government, it is for local authorities to do so through their own plan making process.The draft revised National Planning Policy Framework proposes to introduce a number of measures that will make plan making easier, cheaper and more transparent. We intend to publish the final version of the revised Framework this summer.

Council Housing

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applicants there were in priority bands on council housing registers in England in each year from 2010 to 2018.

Nigel Adams: Since 2012 the Department publishes has published the number of households in reasonable preference categories in the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) return https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data Section C.2018 figures will not be published until January 2019.

Social Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much was spent by local authorities in real terms on adult social care services between 2010 and 2018.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not publish this information. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes estimates of adult social care expenditure as part of the local authority revenue expenditure and financing statistical series, but these are primarily presented as net current expenditure and in nominal terms only. The most recent publication covers outturn data for 2016-17 which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingNHS Digital do publish information on spending in real terms in their Adult Social Care Activity and Finance Report which is available for years up to 2016-17 at https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-social-care-activity-and-finance-report. Note that these figures are presented in gross current expenditure terms which includes client contributions.

Devolution: Cheshire

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timeline is for the next steps on the Cheshire and Warrington devolution deal.

Jake Berry: Government has previously worked with Cheshire and Warrington on their devolution aspirations. We remain open to exploring the case for devolution where local areas feel there is a strong economic case and clear local support.

Controlling Migration Fund

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding has been allocated from the Controlling Migration Fund to each of the devolved administrations.

Nigel Adams: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) made £100 million of funding available to help English local authorities alleviate pressures on local services, as a result of migration into their areas. This funding was identified from MHCLG budgets at Autumn Statement 2015. It is only available to English local authorities. As you know, MHCLG has no remit to finance the devolved administrations, where funding for local government is devolved.The Controlling Migration Fund has a second element, constituting £40 million worth of immigration enforcement activity from the Home Office. This support is directed across the UK, so local authorities in devolved administrations are able to request it.

Urban Areas: Reviews

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government of 18 June 2018, Official Report, column 14, what the timeline is of his Department's review of high streets in England.

Jake Berry: The Government is determined to see our Great British high streets thriving now, and in the future.This is why I have announced that my Department will launch a call for evidence over the summer looking at the future of our high street. I intend to establish an expert panel of industry leaders to draw on their experience and expertise to diagnose the issues currently affecting the health of our high streets and advise on the best approach for their revival. I will announce further detail in due course.

Parks: Sheffield

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the maintenance of parks in (a) Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough and (b) Sheffield City Region.

Rishi Sunak: Sheffield City Council will receive over £850 million in core spending power over the next two years (2018-19 & 2019-20). However, it is up to individual local authorities who are independent of central government to manage their budgets in line with local priorities.The Parks Action Group, which was created following the Select Committee response to the Inquiry on the future of public parks, is reviewing a range of issues relating to parks and green spaces in England – including developing a priority work stream on assessing the evidence related to the existing standards and quality of parks and green spaces. The Government will report back to Parliament in the Autumn.

Parks: Repairs and Maintenance

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the maintenance of parks in each of the last five years.

Rishi Sunak: Over this spending period we have made available over £200 billion in funding for councils to spend on locally determined priorities such as park maintenance. Councils are however independent of central Government and are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities.The Parks Action Group, which was created following the Select Committee response to the Inquiry on the future of public parks, is reviewing a range of issues relating to parks and green spaces in England – including developing a priority work stream to accurately capture the current funding picture. The Government will report back to Parliament on this work in the Autumn.

County Councils: Debts

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information he holds on the (a) total debt of, (b) population served by and (c) amount of debt per head of population of each county council by order of size of debt per head of population.

Rishi Sunak: The Department collects financial data from local authorities, including on their debt. The latest on this is the Prudential System data table in the Capital Estimates Returns for 2018-19. This is available at - www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-capital-expenditure-and-financing-in-england-2018-to-2019-individual-local-authority-data-forecast.The latest population data for local authorities including county councils can be found in the table ‘MYE2 - All‘ of the data set for mid-2017. This is available at - www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland

Parks

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help secure a sustainable future for local parks.

Rishi Sunak: The Parks Action Group was created with the aim of exploring the innovative ways we can support parks and green spaces by identifying and sharing best practice in park management and funding and fostering the support of local friends groups.The Group is reviewing a range of issues relating to parks and green spaces in England and we have committed £500,000 to support the group’s work to safeguard and enhance parks and green spaces for future generations. The Government will report back to Parliament in the Autumn.

Regeneration: Urban Areas

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what capital expenditure his Department has made available for town centre regeneration in each year since 2010 in (a) England, (b) the North West, (c) Merseyside, (d) Wirral local authority area and (e) Wirral South constituency.

Jake Berry: This Government is committed to supporting the regeneration of our town centres.Since 2010, we have given over £18 million to towns – funding and training local teams of people through the Town Team Programme, boosting struggling town centres with the High Streets Innovation Fund and launching successful initiatives such as “Love Your Local Market”.Town centres have also benefited from funding that we have made available for local economic development, including the Coastal Communities Fund, which has invested over £132 million in 131 coastal projects across England since 2012. The Government has awarded £9.1 billion to Local Enterprise Partnerships in Growth Deals since 2014.We have invested over £1.5 billion through the Local Growth Fund in North West projects to boost local economies. Government is investing £332 million in Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the local Growth Deal (GD 1, 2 & 3) between 2015 and 2021. This will support projects in Wirral such as the Wirral Waters Skills factory, Wirral Metropolitan College, Maritime Engineering College and a number of transport projects.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the housing association Right to Buy pilot schemes.

Dominic Raab: The forthcoming Midlands pilot will give thousands more housing association tenants the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of home ownership. The pilot will enable us to test key aspects of the voluntary agreement with housing associations not tested in the initial small-scale pilot, including the portable discount and one for one replacement. It will also allow us to better understand the level of demand, which will provide important evidence to inform the design of the main scheme.Under the terms of the voluntary agreement between the Government and the National Housing Federation, housing associations will deliver an additional home through new supply nationally for every home sold hence increasing overall supply.

Local Government: York

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with local leaders on a possible future deal on investment, infrastructure, and powers for the York City Region.

Jake Berry: We always welcome discussions with any local leaders who bring forward proposals for a deal which relates to a sensible economic area, including a York City Region deal. Any deal must have local support, and if in Yorkshire, support our, and the newly elected Sheffield City Region Mayor's, priority to implement fully as soon as practicable that City Region's deal.

Housing: Birmingham

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that an adequate level of quality housing is available in Birmingham.

Dominic Raab: The Government are dedicated to improving design quality in housing, so that it is of a consistently high level across the country. The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) applies to development nationally. The NPPF has a dedicated chapter on design quality, which states that permission should be refused for development of poor design, and applications that demonstrate early and effective engagement of local communities will be viewed positively. It sets out expectations for local authorities to outline design aspirations in guides and codes, and promotes the use of tools and techniques to embed quality.In March, the Government announced a bespoke housing package for the West Midlands Combined Authority. Through the package we have backed the Mayor with a Land Fund of up to £100m, a large proportion of which is to be allocated to sites in Birmingham. We will continue to work with the combined authority to enable them to deliver high quality housing.

Temporary Accommodation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that temporary housing is available to people who urgently require such housing.

Nigel Adams: Time spent in temporary accommodation means people are getting help and itbensures no family is without a roof over their head.We have clearly set out in legislation in what circumstances it is necessary to provide temporary accommodation.It is our expectation that local authorities adhere to this and provide people with temporary accommodation where appropriate having fully considered their circumstances on a case by case basis.

Occupational Therapy: Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will encourage officials working on local strategic planning to include contributions from occupational therapists in that planning to seek to improve the physical health and activity of local populations.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Yemen: Military Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether members of the Royal Air Force stationed in the Middle East are acting in an advisory capacity to the Saudi-Emirati led coalition on the military operation in Hudaydah in Yemen.

Mark Lancaster: No. Members of the Royal Air Force stationed in the Middle East are not acting in an advisory capacity to the Saudi-Emirati led coalition on the military operation in Hudaydah. We continue to press for action to address the humanitarian situation and encourage all parties to engage in the UN-led political process in good faith. We have been clear that ultimately the only solution to the Yemeni conflict is a political one.

Iraq: Islamic State

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is providing to Iraq to stop Isis re-grouping in that country.

Mark Lancaster: As part of the Coalition, UK air power has played a vital role in the success of the counter Daesh operations in Iraq. The Coalition has destroyed thousands of Daesh targets, interdicting resupply and reinforcement efforts, preventing Daesh's ability to counter attack.UK teams have helped train over 75,000 Iraqi Security Forces, increasing their capacity to defeat Daesh. The UK will continue to develop a committed security partnership with Iraq, assisting with building the capacity of their armed forces.

Trident Missiles

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the UK's stock of D5 Trident missiles have been upgraded under the D5 Life Extension programme; and which Vanguard-class submarines are equipped with those upgraded missiles.

Guto Bebb: I am withholding details on this matter for the purposes of safeguarding national security.

Nuclear Weapons: Safety

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what category of safety assurance was assigned to the nuclear domain by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator for the years (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17 and (c) 2017-18.

Guto Bebb: The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator Annual Assurance Reports for the periods 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, containing the level of safety assurance, will not be published as it has been assessed to do so would impact national security. This does not prevent the effective management and independent assessment of the Defence Nuclear Programme, nor prevent its duty holders being held to account, but in the current security climate we cannot accept compromising our capabilities by disclosing the reports or details contained within.

Submarines: Expenditure

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the 2017 Defence Equipment Plan Report, published by his Department on  31 January 2018, how much of the planned £44 billion spending on submarines over the next decade will be spent on (a) support for Trafalgar and Astute Class submarines, (b) support for Vanguard Class submarines, (c) the delivery of Astute class submarines and associated activities and (d) building the Dreadnought class submarines and associated activities including the nuclear warhead capability sustainment programme.

Guto Bebb: The National Audit Office published a landscape review on the Defence Nuclear Enterprise on 22 May 2018. This includes more recent forecasts of expenditure across the enterprise broken down into submarine build, in-service support, and warhead programmes.The details can be found in figures 3 and 12 of the report which is available at the following link:https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-Defence-Nuclear-Enterprise-a-landscape-review.pdf

Air Force: Cadets

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to ensure that the RAF provides support for the 2018 RAF 100 National Aerospace Camp; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The 2018 RAF100 National Aerospace Camp at RAF Syerston, due to take place between 18-25 August, will be fully supported by the RAF. While plans are currently being finalised, in addition to approximately 100 Cadet Force Adult volunteers, regular RAF personnel and aircraft will take part, and a number of activities are planned at local RAF bases.

Armed Forces Day

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage the armed forces to participate in Armed Force Day events outside of major cities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I am pleased to report that Armed Forces Day was once again a resounding success.The aim of Armed Forces Day is to provide the public with the opportunity to show appreciation for our Armed Forces and we work with national and regional media outlets to ensure it achieves high profile coverage. This year, grants were offered to over 100 organisers of local Armed Forces Day events and we also hosted the public event listings of over 300 local events on our website, armedforcesday.org.uk.Unit commanding officers are encouraged to support local community events, both at home and abroad, with military support provided again this year throughout the UK and at our overseas locations, for example an open day at the British military base in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) tanks, (b) heavy armoured vehicles and (c) light armoured vehicles are permanently based in (i) Wales, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) England and (iv) Scotland.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence publishes annual statistics on vessels, land equipment and aircraft of the Armed Forces, as well as military formations. The information requested can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations-2017.We do not routinely comment on the breakdown of vehicle fleets, including by location, as to do so would compromise operational security, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what date the Government’s Legal Service cleared the revised wording of the ESA65B letters to claimants’ doctors prior to the Cabinet Secretary’s decision to issue a Ministerial Requirement.

Sarah Newton: DWP’s Legal Service cleared the revised wording on 29 July 2016 and the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions subsequently authorised the changes.

Employment and Support Allowance

Emma Dent Coad: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2018 to Question 146987 on Employment and Support Allowance, who attened the meetings between officials in his Department and the (a) British Medical Association and (b) Royal College of General Practitioners on the revised wording of the ESA65B; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of those meetings.

Sarah Newton: The names of the participants representing the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners who attended the meetings referred to constitute their personal data and in accordance with data protection principles, they will not be disclosed without informed consent. DWP officials did not take minutes of these meetings.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to implement a helpline number for hon. Members' constituency offices for casework inquiries relating to Universal Credit.

Alok Sharma: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided to Question 6374 on 5 September 2017 by the then Minister of State for Employment, Damian Hinds.

Universal Credit

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the validity of the assessment by the National Audit Office of the value for money of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit delivers value for money. As the business case makes clear, Universal Credit will create net economic benefits of £34 billion over the ten years to 2026-27, for example by helping 200,000 more people into work. 83% of Universal Credit claimants are satisfied with the service that they receive.

Social Security Benefits: Plastic Surgery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of disability benefit payments paid to people for injuries as a result of negligent cosmetic surgery procedures.

Sarah Newton: No such estimate is available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Personal Independence Payment is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and does not consider causation.

Children: Maintenance

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Maintenance Group complaints are awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager at the Independent Case Examiner's Office.

Kit Malthouse: As at 26 June 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had 274 Child Maintenance Group complaints awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager, this compares to the 1.2 million cases recorded on Child Support Agency and Child Maintenance Service systems.

Independent Case Examiner

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) disability, (b) pensions, (c) working age and (d) debt management complaints are awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager at the Independent Case Examiner's Office.

Kit Malthouse: As at 26 June 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had: (a) 84 Disability; (b) 62 Pensions; (c) 398 Working Age; and (d) 28 Debt Management complaints awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager.

Independent Case Examiner

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of her Department's service providers' complaints are awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager at the Independent Case Examiner's Office.

Kit Malthouse: As at 26 June 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had 310 service provider complaints awaiting allocation to an investigation case manager.

Employment and Support Allowance

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people claiming employment support allowance who are in work.

Sarah Newton: Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) provides support to those that face barriers to work. Under Permitted Work rules, anyone claiming ESA can work fewer than 16 hours per week and earn up to £125.50 per week, for an indefinite period, without it affecting their benefit entitlement.The information requested on how many people claiming ESA who are in work is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons enquiries from hon. Members on universal credit will not be taken by telephone; when the new system for answering such enquiries was introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: We confirmed last year that claimants do not need to give consent for MPs and their caseworkers to raise concerns. Prior to the roll-out of Universal Credit Full Service in their constituency, we write to each hon. Member. The letter explains the implicit consent arrangements for MPs and also provides the telephone number and email address of the District Manager in the constituency, so that MPs can contact District Managers if there are urgent constituent cases that need attention. This is the best route to raise issues on behalf of constituents and works well because MPs’ offices can establish local relationships.

Unemployed People: Voluntary Work

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2018 to Question 157171 on Unemployed People: Voluntary Work, what steps she is taking to ensure that Jobcentre Plus staff apply that definition of volunteering.

Alok Sharma: DWP recognises the value of voluntary work in developing skills which can be transferred into the world of paid work, as well as benefitting local communities and wider society.Work coaches will discuss and promote the benefits of voluntary work during all interventions with claimants. The definition is considered when reviewing the Claimant Commitment.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement on Personal Independence Payment of 25 June 2018, HCWS793, whether a claimant requesting a mandatory reconsideration or appeal could be subject to a review of their existing personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: I refer the Hon. Member to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that I deposited in the House Library. This can be found at:http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-0644/PIP_FAQ.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Incinerators

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the incineration of waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s policy is that incineration should not compete with greater waste prevention, re-use and recycling. As part of the Government’s overall waste policy energy from waste plays a role in meeting the UK’s landfill diversion targets. The Government is committed to recovering the maximum amount of energy from incinerated waste. It also encourages and supports the utilisation of heat and/or the production of other outputs beyond electricity. The Resource and Waste Strategy will be published later this year and will set out how we will maximise the value we get from resources and minimise waste. It will set out how we will achieve zero avoidable plastic waste, double the UK’s resource productivity by 2042, and achieve zero avoidable waste of all kinds by 2050.

Water: South West

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to decrease water wastage in the South West.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 03 July 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions for reducing leakage. This includes supporting Ofwat’s challenge to the industry to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025.   Ofwat monitors progress against leakage targets and will take action if water companies do not meet them. For example, following an Ofwat investigation into Thames Water’s leakage performance, Thames Water agreed to pay £65 million back to customers as part of an overall package of payments and penalties worth £120 million.   We expect water companies to set ambitious leakage reduction targets and make sure they meet these targets. Water companies are currently setting out their targets for leakage reduction in their long term water resources management plans. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions for reducing leakage. This includes supporting Ofwat’s challenge to the industry to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025.  In 2016/17, South West Water’s leakage rate was 102 litres per property per day, Bristol Water’s rate was 87 litres per property per day and Wessex Water was 112 litres per property per day. This compares with a national figure of 121 litres per property per day.  All water companies are currently setting out their targets for leakage reduction in their long term water resources management plans.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions for reducing leakage. This includes supporting Ofwat’s challenge to the industry to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025.   Ofwat monitors progress against leakage targets and will take action if water companies do not meet them. For example, following an Ofwat investigation into Thames Water’s leakage performance, Thames Water agreed to pay £65 million back to customers as part of an overall package of payments and penalties worth £120 million.   We expect water companies to set ambitious leakage reduction targets and make sure they meet these targets. Water companies are currently setting out their targets for leakage reduction in their long term water resources management plans. The 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambitions for reducing leakage. This includes supporting Ofwat’s challenge to the industry to reduce leakage by 15% by 2025.  In 2016/17, South West Water’s leakage rate was 102 litres per property per day, Bristol Water’s rate was 87 litres per property per day and Wessex Water was 112 litres per property per day. This compares with a national figure of 121 litres per property per day.  All water companies are currently setting out their targets for leakage reduction in their long term water resources management plans.

Home Office

Immigration

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department took steps in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016 and (d) since 2016 to implement the recommendations of the October 2014 Legal Action Group report on Chasing Status (i) on the creation of a specialist casework unit to fast-track cases of those living in the UK on 1 January 1973, (ii) on restoring legal aid for such cases, (iii) on maintaining applicants’ ability to work, claim social security benefits and access essential services such as the NHS and (iv) revising Home Office standards of evidence for proving residency.

Caroline Nokes: No specific action was taken as a result of this report. On 21 June, the Home Secretary announced Wendy Williams will have independent oversight of the Windrush lessons learned review. This review will seek to draw out how members of the Windrush generation came to be entangled in measure designed for illegal immigrations; why that was not spotted sooner; and whether the corrective measures are now in place.

Female Genital Mutilation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2018 to Question 151231, for what reasons his Department does not collect data centrally on the number of reports made to the police under the FGM Mandatory Reporting Duty.

Victoria Atkins: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong suffering to women and girls.To improve understanding of the prevalence of so-called ‘Honour Based Violence’ including FGM, we amended the police Annual Data Requirement (ADR) to allow police forces the opportunity from April 2018 to record on a voluntary basis where a crime has been committed in the context of preserving the honour of a family or community.This new voluntary ADR collection will capture police recorded offences of FGM which were initially reported to the police under the FGM Mandatory Reporting Duty. Subject to data quality checks, we expect the first dataset under this new voluntary ADR collection to be published in late 2019.

Domestic Violence

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on making the draft Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill available for formal parliamentary pre-legislative scrutiny.

Victoria Atkins: We received over 3,200 responses to our domestic abuse consultation. The responses are currently being analysed and we intend to publish a Government response as well as a draft Bill this session.Ministers and officials from across Government meet regularly to ensure we develop a Bill and supporting non-legislative package that transforms the response to domestic abuse.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of instances of domestic abuse recorded by the police resulted in a prosecution in each of the last three years.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Office for National Statistics publishes information on the number of domestic abuse-related offences recorded by the police in England and Wales and the number of domestic abuse prosecutions.However, it is not possible to link police recorded offences to prosecutions data as they are collected on a separate basis. The most recent statistical bulletin ‘Domestic abuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2017’ can be found at this link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/domesticabuseinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2017

Slavery: Blackburn

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has identified any victims of modern slavery in Blackburn since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly publishes National Referral Mechanism data but does not collect data by specific location.Data on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are available via the following link: http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many potential victims of trafficking have been (a) identified and (b) referred to the National Referral Mechanism under Operation Aidant (i) in 2018 and (ii) since 14 May 2018.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the potential victims of trafficking identified during Operation Aidant were arrested prior to being identified as potential victims of trafficking; and for which offences those arrests were made.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the procedures used to assess whether an individual who at the point of arrest for an offence of illegal working is a potential victim of trafficking.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were (a) identified as a potential victim of trafficking and (b) referred in to the UK National Referral Mechanism for victims of Modern Slavery by (i) UK Border Force and (ii) immigration enforcement in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: Project AIDANT is the series of multi-agency operational intensifications to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).The number of potential victims reported to the NCA as being identified as a result of Project AIDANT activity so far in 2018 is 173. 111 of these were reported as having been identified as part of ‘AIDANT 11’ which took place from 14-18 May 2018. Of the 173 potential victims, 47 have been reported to the NCA as having been referred to the NRM as victims accepting support and 27 notified to the Duty To Notify (DTN) as victims not accepting support.Data on those arrested prior to identification as potential victims of trafficking, is not captured by the NCA.The procedures for assessing whether an individual encountered by immigration enforcement is a victim of trafficking are published and contained within guidance available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509326/victims-of-modern-slavery-frontline-staff-guidance-v3.pdf.Quarterly data on referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are available via the following link:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticsData shows only referrals to the NRM:In 2018 Q1 HO Immigration Enforcement referred 25 people to the NRM and UK Border Force also referred 25 people.In 2017 Q4 HO Immigration Enforcement referred 23 people to the NRM and UK Border Force referred 35 people.In 2017 Q3 HO Immigration Enforcement referred 26 people to the NRM and UK Border Force referred 43 people.In 2017 Q2 HO Immigration Enforcement referred 19 people to the NRM and UK Border Force referred 26 people.Data on those encountered who are thought to be victims but who do not agree to enter the NRM are recorded under the Duty to Notify. Data for Home Office referrals under Duty to Notify are published in the annual report and are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the annual cost to the public purse is of the office of the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government does not centrally collate information in respect of the cost of the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Wiltshire.Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, it is the responsibility of PCCs to determine how each police area’s funding settlement is allocated, including setting the police force budget and the running of the PCC’s office.The 2011 Act specifies that PCCs must publish key information as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 sets out what information must be published: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/3050/contents/madeThe publication of this information enables the local electorate to determine whether the PCC is making the best use of public funds so that they can hold commissioners to account for their actions via the ballot box.

Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the potential annual cost to the public purse of a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government does not centrally collate information in respect of the cost of the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Wiltshire.Under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011, it is the responsibility of PCCs to determine how each police area’s funding settlement is allocated, including setting the police force budget and the running of the PCC’s office.The 2011 Act specifies that PCCs must publish key information as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011 sets out what information must be published: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/3050/contents/madeThe publication of this information enables the local electorate to determine whether the PCC is making the best use of public funds so that they can hold commissioners to account for their actions via the ballot box.

Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hours a week the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner works.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government does not centrally collate information on how many hours a week the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner works.

Immigration Controls

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the service level agreement (SLA) for Border Force’s performance in respect of waiting times for (a) EEA passengers and (b) non-EEA passengers was set; whether there is a process in place to regularly review that SLA; and when that SLA was last reviewed.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how Border Force is held to account for its performance under the service level agreement in respect of  waiting times at passport control.

Caroline Nokes: Data on Border Force performance against Service Level Agreements was first published July 2011, with data going back to Q1 2010. Border Force performance against Service Level Agreements is kept under review and Border Force is directly accountable to the Home Office Permanent Secretary and the Home Secretary.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passport control queues exceeded the service level agrement (a) 25-minute waiting time for EEA passengers and (b) 45-minute waiting time for non-EEA passengers in each month for the period (i) January to May 2017 and (ii) January to May 2018 at (A) Heathrow, (B) Gatwick, (C) Manchester, (D) Stansted, (E) Luton, (F) Edinburgh, (G) Birmingham, (H) Glasgow, (I) Bristol and (J) Belfast International airports.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force service standards are that 95% of British and other European Economic Area (EEA) passengers, from the point they join an immigration queue, are seen by an officer or arrive at an automatic passport gate within 25 minutes. For non-EEA passengers, the service standard is that 95% of passengers are seen by an officer within 45 minutes.We do not publish data on performance at individual ports. Published data on the clearance of passengers at the border can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-may-2018.Data relating to Border Force activity at Heathrow is published on the Heathrow Airport website at https://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/performance/airport-operations/border-force

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department, whether his Department has plans to introduce minimum unit pricing on alcohol in England.

Victoria Atkins: Minimum Unit Pricing in England remains under review. The Government is developing a new cross-government alcohol strategy which will set out targeted action to prevent and reduce harmful drinking, support vulnerable people affected by others’ alcohol misuse and improve the pathway into treatment for people with alcohol dependency.The new strategy will not include a commitment to introduce MUP at this time but Public Health England will be commissioned to carry out a scientific review into the impact of minimum unit pricing following its introduction in Scotland.

Acids

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will place in the Library the recommendations of the scientific advisers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory which provided the basis for Schedule 1 to the Offensive Weapons Bill.

Victoria Atkins: We have been working closely with scientific advisers at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and formerly at the Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology on the corrosive products and concentration limits set out in Schedule 1 of the Offensive Weapons Bill. A paper setting out the scientific advice we have received will be made available to Parliament by Committee stage of the Offensive Weapons Bill.

Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 111296 on Independent Anti Slavery Commissioner, if he will place in the Library a copy of the inquiry conducted into the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office received two complaints regarding the professional conduct of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. An independent investigation has been carried out. This has now concluded and the investigator found that there was no case to answer. All parties have been informed and we regard the matter as closed. The report will not be released as this was an internal investigation.

Chemicals: Regulation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to review further Schedule 1A of the Poisons Act 1972.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Office keeps Schedule 1A to the Poisons Act 1972 under continual review to ensure that potentially hazardous substances with legitimate uses are being controlled effectively.

Acids: Crimes of Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department has collected on the substances used in corrosive substance attacks in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not hold the information requested and does not specifically collect data from police forces on acid and other corrosive attacks as part of its regular data collection. Acid and other corrosive attacks resulting in injury are included in Office for National Statistics published statistics within assault with injury offences and assault with intent to cause serious harm offences, but cannot be disaggregated.The table below sets out the substances identified as being used in attacks between November 2016 and April 2017 based on the returns from 39 police forces as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council commissioned voluntary data collection.Indicative figures for 408 acid or corrosive attacks broken down by substanceIndicative figures for 408 acid or corrosive attacks broken down by substanceAcid56Ammonia69Bleach71Other stated substance107Unknown liquid74No information provided31Total408 Other stated substance included a range of diverse substances including boiling water, lighter fluid, petrol, CS and pepper spray and non-ammonia/bleach household cleaning products. These figures must be treated with caution, as they are not official statistics. Furthermore, they are only available for cases where the substance was recorded by officers and reflect what the officers involved in the case believed the substance to be, based on the available evidence.The National Police Chiefs’ Council lead has undertaken a further data collection exercise with police forces to provide us with updated figures on the extent of corrosive substance attacks and the substances. We expect that the analysis will be completed shortly.

Metals and Stone: Theft

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department issues to police forces on tackling the resale of stolen metal and stone.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not issue guidance to the police specifically on the resale of stolen metal or stone.The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 was introduced specifically to make it more difficult for thieves to dispose of stolen metal through metal recycling yards. There is no similar specific legislation in relation to stolen stone, as its disposal or resale routes are very different.We do encourage victims of all such crimes to report them to the police, so that they can be investigated. The local response to these crimes is, however, a matter for chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners who, as operational leaders and elected local representatives, must decide how best to deploy resources to respond to these crimes.

Department for International Development

Pakistan: Teachers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking on teacher training in Pakistan; and whether that training covers human rights and religious freedoms.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s technical assistance teams have revised teacher training programmes for induction and continuous professional development in two provinces in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab. The new training covers human rights and religious freedom. In KP the induction programme includes a module to promote teacher tolerance in diverse classrooms and a sub-module that specifically focuses on creating an inclusive learning environment for students from religious minorities. Similarly, the Punjab Education Sector Support Programme has supported the development of induction content on diversity and inclusion and a module on diversity and inclusion in the continuous professional development programmes for all teachers in Punjab.

Pakistan: Education

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to seek to ensure that the educational system in Pakistan does not promote discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government strongly condemns religious persecution and we will continue to engage the Government of Pakistan on the need to uphold the social, economic and political rights of all of its citizens, regardless of faith, gender or ethnicity. We continue to raise the issue of freedom of religion and belief at the highest levels of government.We work closely with provincial governments in areas in which we work to ensure their curriculums promote values of inclusion, diversity and religious tolerance. Through the Ilm Two programme DFID also has a programme supporting the production of additional reading materials that specifically focus on religious tolerance and inclusion.

Gaza: Infrastructure

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the long-term development of (a) healthcare, (b) electricity, (c) sanitation and (d) other vital infrastructure in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: a) We are supporting 11 hospitals in Gaza through £1.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Our longstanding support to UNRWA provides primary healthcare to 1.3 million people in Gaza. The UK regularly raises the issuance of medical permits, which is vital for healthcare for Gazans, with the Israeli authorities.b) The UK will work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, other donors and the Office of the Quartet to provide a sustainable electricity supply to Gaza. This requires greater domestic electricity capacity and energy imports from Israel and Egypt as well as institutional reform.c) UK funding to UNICEF is helping 2 million Gazans access clean safe water and stopping the spread of disease by providing over 1000 roof water tanks and disinfecting 280 wells, 38 desalination plants and 40 reservoirs.d) The UK has already provided support to water infrastructure and will support other infrastructure investments through our new economic development programme. We welcome the proposals of UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, Mladenov, and are keen to see further details.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to engage with Palestinian civil society groups as part of the provision of UK foreign assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s priorities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are to promote economic opportunities, provide humanitarian relief and improve governance. In the course of this work we regularly meet Palestinian civil society organisations such as the local chapter of Transparency International, ALLMEP and Search for Common Ground. We only provide funding to organisations following a rigorous due diligence process.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support improved (a) electricity provision b) rates and speed of approvals for patient permits and c) access to construction materials in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: a) The UK will work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, other donors and the Office of the Quartet to provide a sustainable electricity supply to Gaza. This requires greater domestic electricity capacity and energy imports from Israel and Egypt as well as institutional reform. b) My officials and I regularly raise the issuance of medical permits. I most recently raised our concerns about the situation in Gaza with the office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) in May. We hold regular discussions with the Palestinian Ministry of Health on their plans to respond to the immediate needs in the health sector in Gaza. c) DFID enables reconstruction efforts in Gaza through our support to the Materials Monitoring Unit of the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, which monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials. The UK continues to call for a more comprehensive lifting of movement and access restrictions through a political agreement as the only long-term solution to construction efforts.

Syria: Internally Displaced People

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) discussions have been held and (b) agreements have been reached with international partners on responding to the displacement of people in Syria.

Alistair Burt: DFID is supporting the UN, NGOs and other partners to deliver life-saving assistance to Syrians, including those who are internally displaced, by providing food, healthcare, water and other life-saving relief. With our international partners, the UK continues to use our position in the UN Security Council and the International Syria Support Group to advocate for the protection of civilians, and calls on all parties to allow humanitarian agencies unfettered access to deliver aid to those most in need. We monitor ongoing displacement across Syria, and maintain close contact with other donors and our humanitarian partners to ensure our programmes are supporting those most in need.

Refugees: Syria

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Lebanese Government on the access of Syrian refugees to (a) residency, (b) the labour market and (c) education in that country.

Alistair Burt: The UK helps Lebanon to meet the humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities; supporting Lebanon’s fragile economy, including by investing in job opportunities for Syrians and Lebanese and providing quality education to all children in Lebanon. DFID Ministers and officials from both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development regularly raise the issues of access for refugees to residency documents, jobs and educational opportunities with the Government of Lebanon, most recently during my visit to Lebanon on 28 and 29 June during which I met President Aoun, Prime Minister Hariri, and Foreign Minister Bassil.

Developing Countries: Sexual Offences

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on implementing reforms to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation in aid agencies.

Penny Mordaunt: DFID has introduced enhanced due diligence standards related to sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment for organisations we fund. The standards cover partner policies and processes on safeguarding, human resources, whistleblowing, risk management, codes of conduct and governance. We are working closely with governments, charities, independent experts, suppliers and affected individuals in this country and the countries where we work to identify which further reforms will make the most difference in preventing sexual abuse and exploitation and improving the response when it does occur. We will bring representatives of these groups together at an international conference in London on the 18th October to agree a package to deliver lasting change across all aid agencies and the whole sector.

Cabinet Office

Constituencies

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent from the public purse to date on the 2018 boundary review; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Figures for expenditure over each financial year are published by the separate Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as part of their annual reports.

National Security Communications Unit: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants work as part of the National Security Communications Unit.

Mr David Lidington: The National Security Communications Team currently consists of seven permanent civil servants, as well as three seconded civil servants that have joined the team on a short-term basis.

Civil Servants: Redundancy

Ged Killen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to provide a fair and appropriate remedy for those civil servants who received voluntary redundancy under the 2016 terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme as set out in the letter of March 2018 from the Minister for Implementation to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Oliver Dowden: The Government has given careful consideration to ensure it meets its obligations to provide fair and appropriate remedy for individuals that left on a payment under the 2016 Civil Service Compensation Scheme terms.

Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department missed the response deadline for 133 freedom of information requests submitted in 2017.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office answered 91% of the 1,537 freedom of information requests it received in 2017 within a permitted deadline. This is in line with the 91% timeliness response rate for central government as a whole. The Cabinet Office does not record the reasons why individual requests take longer than twenty working days.

Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of freedom of information requests received by his Department that are not answered within the 20-day deadline.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office is always looking to improve its performance when responding to freedom of information requests, including providing ongoing training for all staff on compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Treasury

Duty Free Allowances: EU Countries

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK's status as a third country in December 2020 means that duty free will automatically return for UK passengers travelling to EU destinations.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. The government is clear that tax is a sovereign matter and that it will be open to the UK government and Parliament to decide to change its policy in the future, subject to any negotiations with the EU.

Duty Free Allowances: EU Countries

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department's policy to ensure that a return of duty free sales is available to passengers leaving the UK for the EU after December 2020.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. The government is clear that tax is a sovereign matter and that it will be open to the UK government and Parliament to decide to change its policy in the future, subject to any negotiations with the EU.

Duty Free Allowances

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2018 to Question 133080, what progress has been made on enabling the return of duty free sales to passengers travelling to the EU from the UK after the transition period.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. The government is clear that tax is a sovereign matter and that it will be open to the UK government and Parliament to decide to change its policy in the future, subject to any negotiations with the EU.

Duty Free Allowances

Sir Graham Brady: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to negotiate a return of duty free sales to the UK after December 2020.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. The government is clear that tax is a sovereign matter and that it will be open to the UK government and Parliament to decide to change its policy in the future, subject to any negotiations with the EU.

Plastic Surgery: Insolvency

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cosmetic surgery providers have gone into administration owing VAT; and how much VAT has been owed by those companies in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The trade classification codes used in VAT are not sufficiently granular to distinguish this type of business.

Plastic Surgery: Taxation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) tax and (b) National Insurance was paid by Fly in/Fly out cosmetic surgeons performing cosmetic procedures in the UK.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes annual statistics relating to Income Tax deducted from pay (excluding pensions) by employers under the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) system by industry (including the health and social work industry). However, HMRC cannot identify tax or National Insurance receipts from Fly in/Fly out cosmetic surgeons specifically.

Health Insurance: Insurance Premium Tax

Gareth Thomas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made on the effect of insurance premium tax on the take-up of mutual health cash plans.

John Glen: The government regularly keeps all taxes under review. This includes Insurance Premium Tax.

Fort Kinnaird: Sales

Tommy Sheppard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2018 to Question 156466, on Fort Kinnaird: Sales, in what ways the revenue from the sale of the Crown Estate’s interest in Fort Kinnaird is planned to be used for the benefit of the UK as a whole.

Robert Jenrick: The Crown Estate’s revenue surplus, including any from the sale of Fort Kinnaird, is passed to the UK Consolidated Fund, which funds activities across the whole of the UK. If the UK government spends more in England, then where policy areas are devolved, the Devolved Administrations will receive a population share of the funding through application of the Barnett formula, which they will be able to spend in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland as they wish.

Unpaid Taxes

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Time to Pay arrangements have been concluded by HMRC in each month since January 2016.

Mel Stride: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained, compiled and collated at disproportionate cost.

Business: Unpaid Taxes

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria are used by HMRC when deciding whether to agree Time to Pay arrangements with companies.

Mel Stride: HMRC uses discretion when granting Time to Pay (TTP) arrangements provided the following principles are followed: ·Objective criteria are applied in each case.TTP arrangements are entered into on a case-by-case basis.TTP is only agreed where HMRC is satisfied that the customer cannot pay their liability on the actual due date(s).The customer offers the best payment proposals that they can realistically afford. If their ability to pay improves during the TTP period then they must contact HMRC and increase their payments/clear the debt.TTP is only agreed where HMRC believes that the customer will have the means to pay the taxes included in the TTP arrangement and any other taxes outside the arrangement which become due during the TTP period.The TTP period is as short as possible.

VAT

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times HMRC has required security payments for VAT for every month since January 2016.

Mel Stride: Where HMRC believes that revenue is at risk of going unpaid it has the power to require a security deposit from VAT-registered businesses. Those businesses that comply with their VAT obligations will never be required to give a security. For the period January 2016 – June 2018, HMRC has issued a total of 3585 VAT Notices of Requirement to give security, at an average of 120 Notices per month. HMRC will continue to use Securities legislation in a reasonable and proportionate manner to support its ongoing commitment to tackling non-compliance and tax losses in VAT (and other taxes where Securities legislation also exists).

Metals and Stone: Theft

Graham P Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to ensure that (a) churches and (b) other places of worship continue to have adequate insurance for metal and stone theft after making a claim.

John Glen: The Government believes that it is important that everyone has access to suitable insurance products at the right price. As a rule, insurers use their claims experience and other industry-wide statistics to set the terms and price at which they will offer insurance cover. Insurers make a risk assessment based on the likelihood a claim being made and the potential cost of that claim. To assist with building costs, the Government made up to £42 million per annum available for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which provides grants towards the VAT paid on repairs, maintenance and alterations to listed buildings that are used principally as places of worship. Since its inception in 2001, the scheme has made 48,196 individual grants to 17,324 places of worship at a total cost of over £223m. The scheme applies to all faiths and denominations and is delivered UK wide.

Corporation Tax and Income Tax

Clive Efford: What his policies are on the proposals for income and corporation tax set out in the 2017 Conservative Party manifesto.

Mel Stride: The government is committed to keeping taxes as low as possible – encouraging investment in the UK, supporting working families and enabling people to keep more of what they earn. We will continue to do this in a balanced way that allows us to properly fund our vital public services.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Aldous: What assessment his Department has made of the effect of the 2019 Loan Charge on people affected by that charge.

Mel Stride: This government is committed to tackling tax avoidance and evasion to ensure that everyone pays the right amount of tax at the right time. Disguised Remuneration schemes are an aggressive form of tax avoidance costing the exchequer hundreds of millions of pounds each year. People who use these schemes receive income in the form of a loan, which they claim is not taxable. However, the loan is, in fact, never repaid. This is wrong and is unfair on those who pay their fair share. The Disguised Remuneration loan charge will apply so the tax due from these schemes is paid. HMRC have published an impact assessment and are able to help those who are in genuine financial difficulty, for example, by arranging for more time to pay or for payment by instalments.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming Machines

Christine Jardine: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring tracked play on gambling machines to reduce the level of problem gambling.

Tracey Crouch: The Government published its response to the consultation on proposed changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May 2018. The response can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures As part of the consultation, the Government has assessed the findings referenced in the Gambling Commission’s response to the consultation (which can be viewed at the link above) for tracked play as a harm reduction tool, in conjunction with other options. The Government has asked the Gambling Commission to work with industry to improve player control measures, including exploring in more detail the costs and benefits of tracked play, not just on B2 gaming machines, but also on B1 and B3 machines in other premises.

Service Industries

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the expansion of the hospitality sector.

Michael Ellis: We are committed to supporting the continued growth of the Tourism and Hospitality industry. We continue to work closely with key stakeholders in the sector to develop initiatives that will share the economic and job creation benefits of this vibrant sector across the UK.

Mobile Phones: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure the prevention of smartphone addiction among children.

Margot James: The protection of children and young people from online risks remains one of this Government's top priorities. As part of its work to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, the Government published the Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper in October 2017 and published its consultation response in May this year. Many stakeholders highlighted screen time as a concern in their consultation responses. Government has committed to consider this issue as part of work on a joint DCMS/Home Office White Paper on online harms due for publication by the end of the year. We are also working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education on their joint Children and Young People's Mental Health Green Paper, published on 4 December 2017. As announced in the green paper, DCMS and DHSC convened a working group comprising social media and technology companies to consider a range of issues, including the impact of screen time on children and young people's mental health. The Chief Medical Officer will also produce a report on the impact that technology has on young people's mental health.

Gaming Machines

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the decision to reduce the maximum stake allowed for fixed-odds betting terminals to two pounds to be implemented.

Tracey Crouch: As the Government's response to the Consultation on proposals for changes to Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures set out, the reduction in maximum stake on B2 machines will be delivered through secondary legislation in due course. We are currently preparing draft regulations needed to make the change, alongside engaging with the gambling industry to ensure that there is an appropriate lead-in period to allow for technological changes to be made.

Gaming Machines

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received and from whom since the decision to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to two pounds was announced.

Tracey Crouch: The Government’s response to the Consultation on proposed changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures was published on 17th May. Since then, Ministers and officials have met with and received correspondence from a range of stakeholders, including parliamentarians, representatives of the gambling industry, trade associations, and campaign group members.

BBC Trust: Royal Charters

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the BBC Trust contains a member from Northern Ireland in accordance with the Royal Charter.

Margot James: In April 2017 the BBC Trust was replaced by a new unitary BBC Board. Under the Charter, no appointment can be made for the Board member for Northern Ireland without the agreement of the Executive Committee. Interim arrangements are in place to ensure that the interests of Northern Ireland are fully represented.

Digital Technology: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the growth of digital economies in South Yorkshire.

Margot James: Since launching our Digital Strategy last year, the Government has taken a number of steps to support digital economies across the UK, including in South Yorkshire. In November last year, Government invested £21 million to expand Tech City UK into a nationwide network – Tech Nation – to accelerate the growth of the digital tech sector across the country. Tech Nation will support 40,000 entrepreneurs and up to 4,000 start-ups as they scale their businesses across the country - including in South Yorkshire. Supported by over £3m of investment from DCMS, the Castle House project in Sheffield will act as a hub for supporting the digital economy across South Yorkshire, with this new facility providing work space and business support for local companies with a focus on digital technology and its application. Our £67m National Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which provides a voucher towards the cost of installing a Gigabit (1,000 Megabits per second) capable connection, has also delivered benefits to South Yorkshire. Across Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster twenty businesses have already been granted these vouchers and five of them have already gone right through to completion of a live connection. In July we will open up bidding for our Wave3 of the Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund. Local bodies will be invited to open dialogue with us to propose projects that will stimulate the build of fibre within their region, with up to £95m of funding will be available in this round. Government has also announced £2.5 billion of extra funding by the British Business Bank, to unlock over £10 billion of finance and support new UK businesses in their ambitions to grow across the UK, including South Yorkshire.

Cycling: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will make an estimate of the financial contribution of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire to the UK economy.

Tracey Crouch: Sport makes a significant economic contribution to the UK. According to my department’s Sport Satellite Account, in 2016 the value of the sports economy was just over £37 billion (gross value added). According to independent research carried out by Leeds Beckett University, the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire boosted the county's economy by almost £64 million.

Tourism: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department estimates the Welcome to Yorkshire brand has generated for the UK economy in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015, (d) 2016, (e) 2017 and (f) 2018 to date.

Michael Ellis: The Department does not hold information on the economic impact of individual destination management organisations. Please find below details of visitor numbers and spend from both the inbound and domestic markets to Yorkshire and Humberside for 2013-2017 in the table below. Please note inbound data is only up to quarter 3 2017. TOTALInboundDomestic Volume (m)Spend (£bn)Volume (m)Spend (£bn)Volume (m)Spend (£bn)2013165.21£7.281.213£0.58164£6.702014162.77£7.071.367£0.57161.4£6.502015150.59£6.721.29£0.52149.3£6.202016159.66£6.521.362£0.52158.3£6.002017160.75£7.131.054£0.43159.7£6.70

Women and Equalities

Homosexuality: Psychiatry

Sarah Champion: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June to Question 148680 on LGBT people: surveys, whether she has carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Memorandum of Understanding in stopping gay conversion therapy.

Victoria Atkins: Our National LGBT survey shows that the abhorrent practice of conversion therapy is still alive in our country. The Government is clear that these activities are wrong, and we are not willing to let them continue. We worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and counselling practitioners to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to tackle conversion therapy. This is a voluntary code that is managed and led by the sector. In our LGBT Action Plan, we committed to further steps to stamp out this bogus treatment. Led by the Government Equalities Office, we will fully consider all legislative and non-legislative options to prohibit promoting, offering or conducting conversion therapy. Our intent is to protect people who are vulnerable to harm or violence, whether that occurs in a medical, commercial or faith-based context.

Sanitary Protection

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will ensure the provision of funding for free sanitary products in (a) schools, (b) food banks and (c) homeless shelters.

Victoria Atkins: We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5bn of additional funding this year alone. Schools have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available, if they identify this as a barrier to attendance. Work gives people the best opportunity to move out of poverty. We’re committed to helping people find work through a wide-range of support targeted to each individual’s personal circumstances. As a safeguard for people needing more support, we have a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans.

Sanitary Protection

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the provision of free sanitary products in (a) schools, (b) foodbanks and (c) homeless shelters.

Victoria Atkins: We have not estimated the full cost of delivering sanitary products to schools. We do want to find out more about the issue, which is why we have placed questions in the department’s 2018 surveys for pupils and senior school leaders. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5bn of additional funding this year alone. Schools have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available, if they identify this as a barrier to attendance. Many homeless services, including hostels and day centres, will make sanitary products available for free to service users. Food banks represent an impressive response by civil society and faith groups to support vulnerable people. Jobcentre Plus offer a signposting service to those who have expressed an interest in using a food bank.

Prime Minister

Afghanistan: Visits Abroad

Mark Tami: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to paragraph 4.10 of the ministerial code, on what date she approved the arrangements for superintending the work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the absence of the Foreign Secretary due to his visit to Afghanistan on 25 June 2018.

Mrs Theresa May: Permission was not necessary as my Right Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary was not absent from his Ministerial duties. He was on an official visit as part of his Ministerial role.Arrangements during absence from London4.9 Departments should ensure appropriate arrangements are made for Ministerial cover when Ministers are absent from London.4.10 The Prime Minister’s prior approval should be sought for the arrangements for superintending the work of a department when the Minister in charge will be absent. Special care must be taken over the exercise of statutory powers. Ministers should seek legal advice in cases of doubt.